Jamie Vardy looked close to tears during an emotional memorial service on the first anniversary of the death of former Leicester chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Sunday marks one year since the tragic crash took place just outside the King Power Stadium and the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Garden was officially opened to remember the Thai businessman.
Vichai, who was 60, was killed along with two members of his staff, Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, and two pilots and partners, Izabela Lechowicz and Eric Swaffer, when his helicopter crashed shortly after it had taken off following Leicester’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.
Jamie Vardy appeared close to tears at a memorial service for Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
Leicester players gathered at a memorial garden opened in honour of their former chairman
The English striker was clearly upset during the service on the first anniversary of the crash
Manager Brendan Rodgers also attended the service at the King Power Stadium on Sunday
Kasper Schmeichel, Christian Fuchs and Vardy all place tributes in the well of the garden
The first-team squad, along with manager Brendan Rodgers and his coaching staff, were among an estimated audience of about 250 at an hour-long, multi-faith service to open the gardens, as were the families of Lechowicz and Swaffer.
The garden, located on the accident site in the south-east corner of stadium, is an all-season garden including flowers and features of significance to Khun Vichai and the Srivaddhanaprabha family.
The thousands of floral tributes left since the accident will also be composted and used to support the garden’s growth.
The club still intends to incorporate the other tributes – shirts, scarves and flags – into the planned redevelopment and expansion of the stadium.
Vichai’s son, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, was not present as he and his family were attending a similar ceremony in their native Thailand.
Chief executive Susan Whelan delivered the welcome to those present at the Leicester service.
The garden, which opened to the public immediately after the service, featured a shrine to the five who lost their lives.
The garden has been paid for and planned entirely by the club and was built within a month
The garden features a shrine to all five people who died in the helicopter crash in 2018
The garden is located on the accident site in the south-east corner of the King Power Stadium
Leicester fans paid their respects on Sunday after the memorial garden was officially opened
A plaque to Vichai read: ‘His vision, his faith and his commitment to improving the lives of everyone around him made us truly believe that everything is possible.
‘Leicester City was a family under his leadership. It is as a family that we maintain the pursuit of a vision for the club that is now his legacy.’
West Ham also contributed a wreath to the garden. The garden, which features numerous personal tributes to Vichai, will be open to the public during daylight hours.
More than a thousand fans are thought to have arrived to pay their respects today.
Steve Robertshaw, 48, who has supported the club for 34 years, said: ‘Khun Vichai united the whole city. You cannot underestimate what he did for the club and Leicester.’
Naomi Halford, 28, and husband Joe, 27, were also among those to pay tribute, along with their four-month-old son. Naomi said: ‘We wanted to be here to pay tribute and be with other supporters. There is a sense of peace here.’ Joe added: ‘He saw it as a family.’
Flowers, wreaths and tributes were left in the garden on the first anniversary of the crash
Foxes supporters were able to enter the garden and lay their own flowers to the chairman
Players including Hamza Choudhury (left) and James Maddison (right) attended the opening
Chairman of the official supporters’ club Cliff Ginnetta added: ‘It’s a tranquil corner where anyone can go and sit and reflect. They’ve got it right again.
‘He turned up many years back and transformed not just the football club but the thinking of the city.
‘It’s a tribute to what he’s done. When he took over we were all ‘who is this guy?’ but they came in and slowly transformed it.
‘They looked into the traditions and history of the club and worked alongside it.
‘It was such a dark day and credit to his family, they have carried on. In tragic circumstances you could lose some of that fight and enthusiasm but they’ve carried on in his name.’