Constabulary and Arbory to hold midday minute's silence

Communities pay silent respects to Covid-19 victims

Tributes continue to pour in for Richard Lloyd, who was the second person to lose his life to coronavirus on the Isle of Man.

Chief Constable Gary Roberts said the former policeman served in a number of roles:

Flags on Constabulary buildings will be flown at half-mast today, and officers will stand in respect for 'Richie' at midday.

Arbory Commissioners are also coordinating a minute's silence at midday - both for Mr Lloyd and for David Corkish, both of whom were from the parish.

Residents will stand outside their houses to pay silent respects:

Mr Lloyd was a central figure in the Island's judo community, and a spokesperson for the sport here said: "I consider him one of my major influences not just in judo, but in life."

"The amount of people affected by the passing of Richard Lloyd will reach many hundreds."

You can see the statement in full below:

Judo on the Isle of Man is not considered a sport played by a majority of people; however the amount of people affected by the passing of Richard Lloyd will reach many hundreds.

Richard established the Southern Club in 2011 with his son Andrew, and through promotion in schools and the Community Games at the NSC, built up a large user base of predominately junior judoka, aged between 6-12 years old, coupled with his team-mates from previous Island Games who would attend the senior sessions on Friday and Monday evenings. When Andrew decided to leave the Isle of Man to pursue work in the Merseyside Constabulary, he asked me to assist with coaching the juniors, and helped me gain my Level 2 Coaching qualification in 2013.

Richard had strong links with judo in the North West, particularly SKK Judo Club, who were always welcoming when we travelled over for events, often using it as an overnight stop before travelling to competition venues the following day. As well as running the club, Richard was able to find time to develop his own skills, progressing to the rank of 4th Dan in 2016 and completing his National C refereeing qualification. He was a well-known and popular member of the competition circuit.

As the 2019 Island Games approached, it was clear that a National Squad be formed from the best competitive players from the two Island-based judo clubs. Richard took this upon himself to establish and coach the players, many of whom were competing at Island Games level for the first time, judo having been included in 2019 after a decade absence. Despite the shift-based nature of his work, and needing to attend meetings leading up to the Gibraltar Games, he managed to attend all of the extra sessions set aside for squad training, and led the team to a creditable 5th place in Gibraltar last July. This set the foundations for future success towards the end of 2019, with teenager Connor Craig earning a silver medal at the British Cadet Championships in December. At the last judo competition before the lockdown, Archie Collis won silver in the British Schools Championships. Work commitments meant that Richard was unable to travel over in support, but was eagerly cheering him on from home.

On a personal level, there have been very few people in sport who have influenced me as much as Richard has. Although I had accepted a place on the Games team as Assistant Coach, a serious knee injury meant that I had not contemplated competing in Gibraltar. Richard convinced me that the rehab and training would be worth it, and it was a true honour to be named Team Captain in Gibraltar. At the turn of the year, Richard expressed an interest in coaching judo to those with special and additional needs, and so handed the Club over to myself to run as Head Coach. Again, a great honour which I hope I can do justice over time.

I hope this gives you a little insight into his recent judo exploits. Please appreciate that we are all grieving at this point and appreciate some distance at this sad time.

Kind regards,

Chris Horton
Chairman, Isle of Man Judo
Head Coach, Isle of Man (Southern) Judo Club