A SERIES of events to celebrate the life of Dudley’s greatest sporting icon Duncan Edwards will kick off with a visit to his old school.

Jim Cadman, from The Duncan Edwards Tribute, will visit Priory Primary School to host a presentation featuring memorabilia, photographs, football programmes and correspondence relating to the former Manchester United star’s life and career.

A centrepiece of the visit will be a story board featuring caricatures illustrating Duncan’s dream of playing at Wembley coming true by renowned football cartoonist Bob Bond.

The aim of the visit to Priory, where Duncan attended from 1941 to 1947, is to inspire current pupils and show them they can follow in his footsteps and achieve their dreams as well as keeping his memory alive in his hometown.

This event is one of a series being arranged in the build up to February 21 next year – which will mark the 60th anniversary of the tragic Munich air disaster which claimed 21-year-old Duncan’s life along with many of his team mates.

This will culminate in a 60th anniversary dinner that will be held at The Copthorne Hotel as well as the publishing of a book ‘Black Country Boy to Red Devil’.

All the material used in the event at Priory Primary will form an ‘educational heritage package’ that will be made available to other schools in the Black Country.

Lancastrian Mr Bond, 78, saw Duncan Edwards play several times when he was a teenager. After leaving art college, he became a football cartoonist in the build up to the 1966 World Cup.

He said: “Duncan was the greatest young player I’d ever seen. I feel he is someone that ought to be remembered and celebrated in the Black Country where he was born.

“I created the story board with the children in mind and we really want to inspire the next generation and show them that their dreams can come true.”

Jill Craig, Head of Priory Primary School, added: “Our school is honoured to participate in the Duncan Edwards Tribute and it will benefit our children in many ways.

“The motto of our school is ‘believe in yourself’ and the teaching staff work hard to motivate our children into believing that the sky is the limit. The Duncan Edwards Tribute would be the perfect example to prove just that.”

For more on the Duncan Edwards Tribute, visit the website at http://duncanedwardstribute.com/