Skip to main contentEnter
Join 7,550+ people who care about this town
Ipswich.co.uk logoSupport our work
News

Ipswich Town FC memorial garden gets blue and white makeover

The Ipswich Town Football Club Garden of Remembrance has been revamped with blue and white plants ahead of the new Premier League season. Notcutts Woodbridge Garden Centre led the project to refresh the memorial space.

The big picture: The garden honours fans whose ashes were interred in the original pitch soil before it was replaced in June 2023.

Why it matters: The refreshed garden provides a dedicated space for families to remember loved ones at Portman Road stadium.

The ITFC Garden of Remembrance
The ITFC Garden of Remembrance(Notcutts)

The details:

  • Stuart Andrews, Notcutts Plant Buyer and lifelong ITFC fan, led the horticultural team

  • New plant varieties include Perovskia and Asters in bright blue and white

  • The garden is located at the corner of the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand and Cobbold Stand

  • It's open to visitors on matchdays and throughout the week

The Ipswich Town Football Club Garden of Remembrance
The Ipswich Town Football Club Garden of Remembrance has been given a Premier League makeover by the expert horticultural team at Notcutts Woodbridge Garden Centre. L-R: Norma Waye, Plant Area Assistant; Stuart Andrews, Plant Buyer; Mark Kitson, Groundsman(Notcutts)

What they're saying: Jayne Jones, whose son Aiden's ashes are in the garden, said: "Our son Aiden was tragically killed in 2009 at the age of 20. He was the kindest, most caring son, brother and amazing friend to many."

"Aiden loved ITFC, he had been a season ticket holder for 14 years, so for us to be able to lay him to rest at Portman Road by the Sir Bobby Robson Stand was incredible because there was no other place that he would have wanted to be."

She added, "Having the memorial garden is absolutely fantastic as it's a place where we can sit for a while and reflect upon our memories."

Stuart Andrews of Notcutts said: "We encourage everyone visiting the stadium to take a peaceful moment in the Garden of Remembrance in honour of the Blues fans no longer with us, who would have loved to see this moment of glory as ITFC return to the Premier League."

The bottom line: The refreshed Garden of Remembrance prompts us to reflect on what's important in life amidst the excitement of Ipswich Town's return to top-flight football.

You can read it for free thanks to the generous support of All About Hearing and Insight Energy

Despite a lack of promotion, the big reveal drew a good crowd of passersby

We're regenerating Ipswich – but we can't do it without you!

People tell us every day that our work matters – that it's making Ipswich better; that it's needed. But our work costs money, and unlike the Ipswich Star, we're not funded by national advertisers or owned by corporate US overlords. For just £4.75 a month, you can help fund our mission to restore pride of place and accelerate the much-needed regeneration of the town we call home.
Become a member →

In other news...

News

GP contract promises faster care – but will it deliver for Ipswich?

The government says a new GP contract will guarantee same-day urgent appointments and boost childhood vaccination rates, but the British Medical Association has warned it risks creating "unrealistic expectations" given how stretched services already are.
by
Continue reading →
News

Teen found guilty of the manslaughter of Andrew Roche

A teenage boy has been found guilty of the manslaughter of Andrew Roche, 42, following an altercation in the Whitehouse area of Ipswich last summer.
by
Continue reading →
News

Suffolk County Council approves plan for two joint chief executives

Suffolk County Council has approved plans to appoint two joint chief executives to lead the authority through local government reorganisation, following the departure of current chief executive Nicola Beach at the end of March.
by
Continue reading →
News

Lovisa opening marks second tenant for revived Grimwades building

Global fashion jewellery brand Lovisa has opened in the former Grimwades building on the Cornhill, becoming the second ground-floor tenant in the landmark property that sat empty for over a decade before the council acquired the building using Towns Fund money.
by
Continue reading →
News

New exhibition to celebrate disability history

A new exhibition exploring the lives, achievements and challenges of disabled people in Suffolk opens at The Hold in Ipswich on Thursday, 27 February 2026.
by
Continue reading →
Feature

'You might just save that person's life': Students take on 24-hour CPR marathon

More than 50 University of Suffolk paramedic students are performing continuous CPR for 24 hours to demonstrate that using the yellow and green defibrillator boxes found across Ipswich is straightforward, with the ambulance service providing step-by-step guidance to anyone who calls 999.
by
Continue reading →
News

Council approves £38m aquatics centre plan

Ipswich Borough Council has approved a £38 million aquatics centre as part of its £70 million four-year capital programme – but questions are already being raised about whether it will ever be built.
byand
Continue reading →
Feature

Suffolk's aging population faces predatory marriage threat

As Suffolk's population grows older, local legal experts are warning families about a disturbing trend that could rob vulnerable relatives of their life savings through marriages designed purely for financial gain. New data reveals widespread public concern about gaps in current inheritance laws that leave elderly people exposed to exploitation.
by
Continue reading →
Load more content
Our journalism is free thanks to
Our journalism is free thanks to
Want our best content delivered to your inbox every Friday?

Have you subscribed to our free weekly newsletter?

If you haven’t, you really should. You’ll get our best content delivered to your inbox every Friday afternoon, just in time for the weekend. You can unsubscribe at any time, although 99.7% of people don’t.

  • Lee Walker
  • Joe Bailey of Brighten the Corners
  • Mark Hubert
7,550+ people are already loving it