A local man is to be posthumously honoured as the Lichfield Bower King.
Tributes poured in to Chris Richards – one of the founder members of the Friends 2 Friends group for people with learning disabilities – following his death last month.
The organisers of the Lichfield Bower say they have now decided to honour him at this year’s event.
A spokesperson said:
“The crowning of our Bower Queen draws much attention and our committee has been debating how to proceed with it this year as our country has seen a change of monarch after the sad passing of our wonderful Queen. We wanted to reflect this change.
“With this in mind, we have thought long and hard about what criteria our new Bower monarch should fit – is it bringing joy to our community, working with charities or volunteering, or just showing kindness to all?
“Our committee and community have been touched by the sad passing of local Lichfield legend Chris Richards, so we thought a great way to honour this man of the city was to award him, posthumously, the title of Bower monarch of Lichfield.
“Chris certainly fills the criteria of Bower King. He gave everyone joy without expecting anything in return.”
Lichfield Bower spokesperson
The organisers have also confirmed that volunteers from Friends 2 Friends will decorate a float in Chris’ memory with help from members of the Helping Each Other group.
“We hope this wonderful experience will help all involved in creating it and the people of Lichfield to remember this kind gentle giant.
“With permission and blessing from his relatives, we are honoured to crown Chris as the King of Lichfield Bower.”
Lichfield Bower spokesperson
Funeral details confirmed
Meanwhile, details have also been confirmed for Chris’ funeral at Lichfield Cathedral at 11am on 21st April.
A spokesperson for Jukes Funeral Services said:
“The funeral cortege will be travelling through Lichfield City Centre via Tamworth Street at approximately 10.15am.
“We will pause outside some of Chris’ favourite places, such as McDonald’s where he would have his morning hot chocolate, Tasty Café, Market Square, the corner of Dam Street where Chris regularly had his lunch at Minster Coffee Shop, The George IV Pub and then onto Wade Street and Frog Lane to pause by the Lichfield Garrick.
“The cortege will then travel down Bird Street to pause outside of City Corner Café and The Kings Head.
“Chris was a big Aston Villa fan, and it would be appreciated if people were able to wear something in the club’s colours.”
Jukes Funeral Services
They could still have honoured him with a Friends 2 Friends float, but Bower Monarch/King? Really!?
Get over yourself Ann. Chris was a lovely man and this is a fitting tribute.
At the end of the day, the Bower is a made-up procession and has zero bearing on anything other than some people having fun getting dressed up to be driven through the city streets once a year.