More than £1000 was raised for charity at this year’s Simon Blyth Memorial Trophy match between Hinckley AFC and Heather St John’s.
The 15 supporters taking part in the #Hinckley2Heather bike ride, alongside Heather’s raffle at St John’s Park and other contributions, raised a total of £1021 for two cancer charities in memory of Simon Blyth and Ray Baggott.
It means that Hope Against Cancer, chosen in memory of Ray, and MacMillan Nurses, chosen in memory of Simon, receive £510.50 each as a result of the efforts from supporters of both clubs.
That’s the highest total in the three years of the match, surpassing the £871 raised in 2017, and means that nearly £2500 has been raised for charity in this fixture.
Organiser Marek Portland said: “It’s a great total and we’re delighted to have pushed it to more than £1000.
“I want to thank Simon’s partner Julia Dale and Ray’s wife Debbie Baggott for their support on the day too. Simon and Ray are two people we can’t replace at the football club but we will carry on their legacy.”
The riders were waved off from the Milestone pub by Julia and Debbie, and welcomed to St John’s Park by everyone from Heather St John’s, and Russell Hobbs from BBC Radio Leicester.
The ride was then featured on the station’s drivetime programme the following Tuesday – and the feature can still be listened to on the BBC Sounds app by scrolling to an hour and 53 minutes into the programme: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07dzrl3.
You can still donate to the worthy cause, with any further donations going towards player sponsorships in Simon and Ray’s memories. Contact Marek to put your donation forward in memory of two dearly missed friends.
