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Both intensive care units at Leicester Childrens’ Hospital are to be named after Leicester City’s late chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

The naming decision has been taken by the Leicester Hospitals Charity in recognition of the £2m donation he made to the project.

The announcement is made today - six days before the first anniversary of his tragic death in a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium .

The charity has said that both the Children’s Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at the Balmoral Building and the new Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Leicester Royal Infirmary will be designated ‘The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Children’s Intensive Care Unit’.

The hospital tribute, made with the consent of Khun Vichai’s family, is in recognition of the generous donation he made to the Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Children’s Hospital Appeal following the club’s historic Premier League title win in 2016.

This honour comes after around

before the game against Burnley on Saturday.

(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

Money raised during the walk across the city will be donated to the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was killed in a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium almost a year ago, which also took the lives of LCFC staff Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare and helicopter pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz.

The tragic accident rocked the city of Leicester as well as the wider football community, with Leicester City fans banding together in mourning to raise over £13,700 for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal in tribute of their beloved club chairman.

The new Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Children’s Intensive Care Units will form an important part of a plan to create the East Midlands’s first dedicated children’s hospital, where all children’s services will be located under one roof, separate from adult services.

Leicester City Vice Chairman Apichet Srivaddhanaprabha, son of Khun Vichai, was given the opportunity to tour the children’s intensive care units to be named in his father’s memory ahead of the official launch of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal at King Power Stadium in July.

“This is a very proud moment for my family,” said Khun Apichet.

“My father always supported Leicester’s communities because he believed in giving back to the people that have given so much to us. His donations to Leicester’s hospitals were about supporting the future generations of those communities and making sure there would always be help available to families that needed it most.

“Our family, Leicester City Football Club and the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation intend to honour my father’s legacy by continuing to support those communities in the same spirit.”

Leicester Hospitals charity director Lisa Davies said the naming of the intensive care units in honour of Khun Vichai reflects the impact of his legacy both on Leicester’s Hospitals and Leicester’s community.

She said: "It is with the deepest admiration and respect for Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha that we announce we will be naming such an important area of our children’s services in his memory.

“In his life, Khun Vichai donated so much to improve children’s services at our hospitals and regularly extended special invitations to our young patients to attend Leicester his executive box at the King Power Stadium.

“His selflessness and compassion for our city and its children was always deeply appreciated and we can think of no better way to commemorate his life and legacy than by dedicating the new children’s intensive care units at the Leicester Children’s Hospital in his name.”

Leicester Hospitals Charity is fundraising for a £7.5million appeal to help complete the first phase of the new Leicester Children’s Hospital and called on people across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and the wider East Midlands to donate to and show their support for this important cause.

Leicester City will open a memorial garden this weekend in tribute to late chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and those who also lost their lives in the helicopter accident that killed him last year.

Sunday October 27 will mark the first anniversary of the tragedy.

To mark the date, City will open a memorial garden dedicated to those who lost their lives.

The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Garden, will be 'a carefully developed, peaceful space, designed to protect the scene of the accident and form a permanent tribute to those so tragically lost a year ago.'

(Image: Getty Images)

It will be an all-season garden, including flowers and features of significance to Khun Vichai and his family.

The garden will be opened on Sunday with a private, staff-only multi-faith ceremony, and gates will open to the public from 2pm, with complimentary refreshments being served from the East Stand between 2pm and 3pm.

Anyone wanting to contribute towards making the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal can visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the appeal, or can follow the appeal on Facebook at FB.me/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

They can also call the Leicester Hospitals Charity office on 0116 258 8709 or email LHCharity@uhl-tr.nhs.uk