Jimmy Peters statue
Donation protected
From his father being mauled to death by a lion and his abandonment to representing his country and then ultimately being banned by his sport, the life of Jimmy Peters was nothing short of remarkable.
As the first black man to play rugby union for England, between 1906 and 1908, he was a pioneer. Indeed, it would be 80 years before Chris Oti became the next black man to represent his home nation and it's time we acknowledged a true rugby icon in the town where he succeeded at the highest level. Plymouth.
We plan to build a life-sized statue for display at the club during our 150th anniversary in 2026, before donating it to the Plymouth community for display in a prominent location within the Ocean City.
This is a 'not-for-profit' venture and all money raised will go towards the costs of building the statue with any excess funds donated to the Diversity Business Incubator, based right here in Devonport. This will help them fund further initiatives to support minority ethnicity entrepreneurs in the city where Jimmy Peters blazed a trail over 100 years ago.
It’s time to honour a truly remarkable man.
Jimmy's story
Jimmy's family
Organizer and beneficiary
Plymouth Albion RFC
Organizer
England
Eleanor Venables
Beneficiary