Tragic Shrewbury Town fan's widow thanks those who have 'done our lad proud'
The wife of a man tragically killed while trying to save his brother from a train has thanked the people who have raised thousands in his memory.
Jennifer Kavanagh, wife of Shrewsbury Town fan Nick Mann who died in March, says those who have donated to her husband's memorial fund have "done our lad proud".
The fund has raised more than £7,400 so far, and in a post on the fund's web page - gofundme.com/nickmannmemorial - Mrs Kavanagh revealed that she had been overwhelmed by the generosity which has enabled her to put a stone bench in the memorial garden at Whitworth Art Gallery, in Manchester.
After thanking the donors, she said: "I am also delighted to announce that you have helped to fund the construction of a wonderful stone bench in the beautiful memorial garden at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.
"A memorial plaque for Nick will be installed in the next few weeks but the seating is finished and looks lovely. The Whitworth is located next to where Nick was in halls during his first year of uni, and we travelled passed it every day when we lived in Manchester."
Mrs Kavanagh also revealed that the donations would allow her to present money to a number of charities her husband would have supported. She said: "Your generous donations have also meant that we can give to more charities than originally planned. I will be supporting the refugees and displaced families in desperate need, as Nick would be heartbroken, as we all are, by the scenes in the press at the moment."
Donations are therefore being given to WWF, London Air Ambulance, Refugee Council, Save the Children, and London College of Communication (LCC)."
Mr Mann, a journalist and music writer, was killed as he travelled home in London from watching Shrewsbury play Portsmouth in March.
The 35-year-old was killed by a Northern line train at Old Street Underground Station after he jumped on to the tracks to try to pull his younger brother Robert, 32, to safety. Robert was critically injured in the incident which took place at 12.20am on March 29.
The pair had been in the crowd at Fratton Park as Shrewsbury earned a 2-0 win over Portsmouth on the south coast.
Robert is a student who now lives in Manchester and Nick lived in Colliers Wood, South London.
It has also been announced that both the LCC and the British Library are taking full sets of Mr Mann's fanzine, "A Short Fanzine About Rocking", into their permanent collections.,
Mrs Kavanagh added: "A donation to the LCC will go towards financial aid for students wanting to become creatives and writers, like Nick was."
