The Historic Kilburn Plaque Scheme (HKPS) is raising £2500 to fund two blue plaques to commemorate Gerry Anderson, the creator of Thunderbirds. Gerry grew up in Kilburn and attended Kingsgate Primary School. One plaque will be on his old school in Kingsgate Road and the other on the Sidney Boyd Court estate where he lived with his family between 1929 and 1935, before the area was devastated by bombing during the Second World War.
HKPS is hoping to have funded the project by March in order to unveil the plaques at a special ceremony in June. This ceremony will be attended by Gerry’s son, Jamie Anderson, with an invitation extended to actor Brian Blessed who worked on both seasons of Space: 1999 and the film The Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity.
Ed Fordham, the founder and scheme administrator of HKPS said: “Gerry Anderson is one of the most significant figures of the 1960s.” He explained that, “Given Gerry’s influence on so many people’s childhoods it seems especially appropriate that we place a plaque on his local school.” He added that, “Any additional money raised will be donated to the charitable causes that mattered so much to Gerry himself, such as the Alzheimer’s Society.”
Gerry Anderson will join other famous Kilburn residents including AA Milne and George Orwell in having a blue plaque to commemorate them.
If you want to donate to the scheme you can send a cheque payable to Historic Kilburn Plaque Scheme to Ed Fordham, 7 Douglas Court, Quex Road, NW6 4PT or email [email protected].
