Huge Edinburgh crowds gather as Sir Tom Farmer's hearse passes Easter Road
Massive crowds gathered at Edinburgh's Easter Road stadium to pay their respect to business tycoon Sir Tom Farmer.
Before 12.45pm on May 28, dozens of Hibernian FC fans were in attendance to say their goodbyes following his private funeral.
Sir Tom passed away at the age of 84 on May 9 with his family describing him as 'a proud Scotsman'. Born in Leith in July 1940, he founded the Kwik Fit chain of garages back in 1971.
READ MORE: Tributes pour in for Edinburgh-born football 'legend' as clubs issue heartfelt messages
READ MORE: Touching tributes for 'legendary' Edinburgh musician hailed as 'colossal talent'
The icon also owned a majority stake in Hibs for 28 years, selling his interest in 2019 to US businessman Ron Gordon, and was credited by current head coach David Gray as having "saved the club at a time of need".
His hearse was driven past Hibernian FC's Stadium and it's understood a memorial service will be held for Sir Tom later in the year to commemorate his contribution to civic and public life throughout the country and beyond. Details are yet to be confirmed.
Sir Tom, a former director of MyTravel Group and ScottishPower, was hailed by Scotland's First Minister John Swinney as a "generous individual to so many causes in Scotland".
According to the Sunday Times Rich List from 2020, he was worth an estimated £126million. He grew Kwik Fit to become an international chain before selling it to Ford for £1 billion in 1999.
A statement from his family reads: "Sir Tom's long and extensive career touched many aspects of Scottish and UK life. His business career is well documented, as was his commitment to philanthropy, his many public roles and his unwavering support and appreciation for the communities and people that he lived his life within.
"More than anything Sir Tom was a family man. Born in Leith, Edinburgh, in 1940 he was the youngest of seven children. He frequently spoke of the love, care and attention that was bestowed upon him by being the youngest in such a large family.
"Leith provided a wonderfully supportive environment for him growing up as a child and he retained a lifelong affection and connection to the area. Along with his three sisters and three brothers, the siblings formed strong bonds from a young age that they continued to enjoy and cherish throughout their lives.
"Sir Tom had many nieces and nephews to whom he was proud to be an Uncle to them and their families. In 1966 Sir Tom married his dearly beloved wife, Anne.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
"They met at their local church, St Mary, Star of the Sea, and were married for 57 years up until her death in 2023. In later years, when asked about the secret to his success he would often say it was because he 'married a girl like Anne'.
"They lived their whole married life in Edinburgh and are survived by their two children and four grandchildren. Sir Tom's Roman Catholic faith was present throughout all areas of his life.
"He attended mass weekly in Edinburgh and enjoyed the friendship and company of many people with the Catholic community both here in Scotland and further afield. Sir Tom will be remembered by many for his deep commitment to his family, his work and his faith and for being at all times a proud Scotsman."
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Hibs previously paid tribute in a post on X, saying: "Hibernian FC are devastated to hear of the passing of former owner Sir Tom Farmer, aged 84.
"Thank you for everything, Tom. Rest in peace."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Retired great Hakuho to quit sumo over stable row: reports
Retired sumo great Hakuho is set to quit the ancient Japanese sport, reports say (Philip FONG) Retired sumo great Hakuho will quit the ancient Japanese sport following a row over the forced closure of his wrestling stable for physical abuse, reports said Monday. The Mongolian-born Hakuho won a record 45 tournaments before retiring in 2021 to coach wrestlers, but his stable was indefinitely shuttered in April last year when one of his proteges was accused of bullying. Advertisement Hakuho was also handed an embarrassing demotion for failing to control the behaviour of Hokuseiho, who allegedly punched his lower-ranked stablemates and stole money from them. The future of Hakuho's stable is still unclear more than a year later, leading the 40-year-old to tender his resignation to the Japan Sumo Association, reports said. The reports said his resignation was accepted at an extraordinary board meeting in Tokyo. When contacted by AFP, the Japan Sumo Association declined to comment. Hakuho, who is currently in Mongolia according to posts he has made on social media, is expected to hold a news conference next week. Advertisement Born Munkhbat Davaajargal, Hakuho moved to Japan aged 15 and made his sumo debut in 2001. He won his first top-division title in 2006 and went on to fight at the sport's highest rank of yokozuna more times than anyone in history. amk/dh
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
The UK must raise defence spending
The danger with any defence review is that it ends up fighting the last war or failing to anticipate the next threat. We are about to have the third in 10 years, which suggests the long-term planning that supposedly underpinned the previous reviews has been found wanting. The current review has been undertaken by, among others, Lord Robertson who as Labour defence secretary under Tony Blair oversaw an earlier iteration completed in 1998. It created the Joint Reaction Force and most controversially commissioned two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers seen at the time as a sop to Scottish shipyards and Labour's MPs north of the Border. One of those carriers, HMS Prince of Wales, together with accompanying strike group, is on an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific at a time when tensions with China are growing. The US defense secretary Pete Hegseth has somewhat alarmingly suggested that a possible assault on Taiwan is imminent. This has been denied in Beijing but the military build up is ominous and is causing concern in the region. Australia's defence minister has called on China to explain why it needs to have 'such an extraordinary military build-up'. His counterpart in the Philippines has called China 'absolutely irresponsible and reckless' in its the face of this development, the £6 billion investment in carriers able to project UK power as part of a wider coalition designed to stop Chinese expansionism does not seem such a poor investment after all. It has taken close to 30 years for the threat to materialise in the way it has, which is precisely what a strategic review is supposed to do – look to the long term. The latest takes place against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, something that was considered highly unlikely as recently as the 2015 review, even though by then Crimea had been annexed by Moscow. Anticipating the threats to national, regional and global security is difficult but they have not really changed that much in the past three decades. The biggest upheaval is in the willingness of the US to continue bankrolling the rest of the democratic world, which it is no longer prepared to do. The new reality is that much more money needs to be spent on defence than the 2.5 per cent of GDP promised by the Government. Unless we see a financial commitment commensurate to the threat this latest review risks foundering before it takes off. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
NBC Sports
9 hours ago
- NBC Sports
U.S. Open 101: History, qualifications, records, courses and most wins
Look back at the top moments from Round 4 of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, as Bryson DeChambeau outdueled Rory McIlroy to win his second U.S. Open in five years. Take a look at some answers to frequently asked questions about the United States Open: How old is the U.S. Open? It is 130 years old. The first one was played in 1895. How many times has the U.S. Open been played? This year will mark the 125th U.S. Open. It was not played in 1917 or 1918 because of World War I, nor was it played in 1942-45 because of World War II. Who started the U.S. Open? The United States Golf Association, an organization formed in 1894 by five prominent golf clubs to be the game's national governing body. Is the U.S. Open the oldest national championship in the world? No. The Open, also referred to as The Open Championship, dates back to 1860. Where was the first U.S. Open played? It was played on a nine-hole course at Newport (R.I.) Country Club. Who was the first U.S. Open winner? Horace Rawlins, a 21-year-old Englishman, shot 173 for 36 holes to beat Scotsman Willie Dunn by two strokes. Who is the most recent U.S. Open winner? Bryson DeChambeau. He earned his second U.S. Open title (2020) by getting up and down from a greenside bunker to save par and finish one shot clear of Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2. Who has won the most U.S. Opens? Four players have won the U.S. Open four times each: Scotsman Willie Anderson and Americans Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. Hogan also won the 1942 Hale America Open, which some of his supporters claim should be counted as his fifth U.S. Open. The Hale America was a substitute for the U.S. Open, was held in the same time slot and was run like the U.S. Open with local and final qualifying. How many times has a player won consecutive U.S. Opens? Six players have won back-to-back Opens and one has won three in a row. Chronologically, they are Scotsman Willie Anderson (1903-05), and Americans John McDermott (1911-12), Bobby Jones (1929-30), Ralph Guldahl (1937-38), Ben Hogan (1950-51), Curtis Strange (1988-89) and Brooks Koepka (2018-19). Who are the most noteworthy players who have NOT won a U.S. Open? This list would have to start with Sam Snead, whose failure to win a U.S. Open cost him a career Grand Slam. Snead was runner-up in the Open four times – in 1937, 1947, 1949 and 1953. But his most painful loss probably came in 1939, when he came to the final hole needing only a par to win but instead made a triple bogey. As on-course scoreboards did not yet exist, Snead didn't know he needed only a par; a spectator erroneously told him he needed a birdie. Phil Mickelson is also in this category; he has a record six runner-up finishes (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013) and a U.S. Open win would also earn him the career Grand Slam. Where is this year's U.S. Open? Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. It will be a record 10th time that the course has played host to the U.S. Open. The most recent occasion was 2016, when Dustin Johnson prevailed. Other past winners include Angel Cabrera (2007), Ernie Els (1994), Larry Nelson (1983), Johnny Miller (1973), Jack Nicklaus (1962), Ben Hogan (1953), Sam Parks, Jr. (1935) and Tommy Armour (1927). Which U.S. Opens have been the most memorable? It's all a matter of opinion, of course. Working backwards in the top 10: 10. 1973: Johnny Miller shoots a record 63 in the final round to win. 9. 1982: Tom Watson chips in from deep rough on the 71st hole to win at Pebble Beach. 8. 2008: Limping on what would turn out to be a broken leg, Tiger Woods edges Rocco Mediate after an 18-hole playoff and one sudden-death hole. 7. 1930: Bobby Jones wins the third leg of a Grand Slam he would soon complete. 6. 2000: Woods destroys the field by a record 15 shots at Pebble Beach. 5. 1950: Less than a year and a half after a near-fatal car accident, Ben Hogan wins at Merion. 4. 1966: Seven shots ahead of playing partner Billy Casper at the final turn, Arnold Palmer is caught and loses in an 18-hole playoff. 3: 1913: Francis Ouimet stuns the golf world. 2. 1962: Rookie Jack Nicklaus takes it to Palmer in front of Arnie's home crowd at Oakmont. 1. 1960: Seven shots back after 54 holes, Palmer drives the green on the first hole, a par 4, shoots 65 and wins his first – and only – U.S. Open. How do you get to play in a U.S. Open? Below are the 2025 exemption categories, per the USGA. Anyone — with a Handicap Index not exceeding 0.4 — however, can earn a spot in the field through 18-hole local and 36-hole final qualifying. Certain players are exempt into the latter stage, with most players having to go through both. There were 110 local and 13 final sites this year. F-1. Winners of the U.S. Open the last 10 years; F-2. From the 2024 U.S. Open, the 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place; F-3. Winner of the 2024 U.S. Senior Open; F-4. Winner of the 2024 U.S. Amateur; F-5. Winners of the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur championships, and the 2024 U.S. Amateur runner-up (must be an amateur); F-6. Winners of the Masters Tournament, 2020-2025; F-7. Winners of the PGA Championship, 2021-2025; F-8. Winners of The Open, 2021-2024; F-9. Winners of The Players Championship 2023-2025; F-10. Winner of the 2024 DP World Tour BMW PGA Championship; F-11. Those players who qualified and were eligible for the season-ending 2024 Tour Championship; F-12. Multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the FedExCup, from the conclusion of the 2024 U.S. Open (June 13-16) to the initiation of the 2025 U.S. Open; F-13. The Top 5 players in the 2025 FedExCup standings as of May 19, 2025, who are not otherwise exempt; F-14. The points leader from the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season using combined points earned on the Official Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points Standings and points earned in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals; F-15. The top two players from the final 2024 Race to Dubai Rankings, who are not otherwise exempt as of May 19, 2025; F-16. The top player on the 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings as of May 19, 2025, who is not otherwise exempt; F-17. Winner of the 2024 Amateur Championship (must be an amateur); F-18. Winner of the 2024 Mark H. McCormack Medal (Men's World Amateur Golf Ranking) (must be an amateur); F-19. Winner of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Individual Golf Championship (must be an amateur); F-20. Winner of the 2025 Latin America Amateur Championship (must be an amateur); F-21. From the current Official World Golf Ranking, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of May 19, 2025; F-22. From the current Official World Golf Ranking, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of June 9, 2025; F.23. Winner of the 2024 Olympic gold medal, contested August 1-4, 2024; F.24. The top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top 3 of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 19, 2025; F-25. Special exemptions selected by the USGA. Deadline for submission of request: May 15, 2025. Who is the oldest player to win the U.S. Open? Hale Irwin was 45 years and 15 days old when he won in 1990. Who was the youngest U.S. Open winner? John McDermott was 19 years, 315 days old when he won in 1911. Who was the youngest U.S. Open player? In 2012 a 14-year-old amateur from China, Andy Zhang, qualified. Who had the largest U.S. Open victory margin? Tiger Woods won by 15 strokes in 2000. This is the record for any major. Who holds the 72-hole U.S. Open scoring record? Rory McIlroy shot 268 in 2011. That was 16 under par – also a record – on par-71 Congressional. Brooks Koepka won in 2017 at par-72 Erin Hills with a 16-under total (272). Who holds the 18-hole aggregate U.S. Open scoring record? This was long known as Johnny Miller's record (even though others subsequently tied it). Miller famously closed in 63 to win the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont. In 2023, however, Rickie Fowler opened in 62 at LACC to establish a new aggregate record. A few minutes after he did that, Xander Schauffele posted a 62 as well. They now co-own the mark. What does a player get for winning the U.S. Open? Last year's winner collected $4,300,000 (out of $21.5 million, overall purse). The winner is also exempt from qualifying for the other three majors and The Players Championship for the next five years, and exempt from U.S. Open qualifying for the next 10 years. If the winner is a PGA Tour member, he would receive a five-year exemption to all PGA Tour events. What happens if the U.S. Open is tied after 72 holes? There used to be an 18-hole playoff the following day. Now, if two or more players are tied at the end of regulation there is a two-hole aggregate playoff, followed by sudden death.
