More than £150,000 has been raised for a military charity, in memory of a much-loved supporter from Leicestershire who died of a rare illness seven years ago this week, aged just 20.
Jack Patrick, a devoted Leicester City fan, from Walton, near Lutterworth, died of a very rare auto immune disease called Goodpasture Syndrome on November 1, 2015.
Events held by family and friends to honour Mr Patrick, have included charity cricket matches in Lutterworth, golf days and the annual wheelie bin race in Bruntingthorpe.
His father, Shaun, said he packed more into his 20 years than most people do in a lifetime.
“He was the most amazing person, his character was larger than life and he always made the most of every day,” he said.
“He was incredibly proud of anyone who served in the military, and he had a big concern about veterans who were not looked after and were left to suffer – it was his big passion,” he went on the reveal.
“Donations made to Help for Heroes at his funeral totalled about £6,000 and we decided that we could continue to raise money as a legacy in his name.”
Shaun, is the Chief Executive of Notts Sport, a family firm based in Leicester where Jack worked in the Marketing Department.
As a leading specialist in artificial turf, Notts Sport has supplied more than 16,000 cricket pitches, 1,800 hockey and football pitches and 14,000 playgrounds in 44 counties over the last 37 years.
Its charity cricket match, featuring veterans supported by Help for Heroes has now become a popular annual fixture and Shaun has become good friends with many members of the team.
Other epic feats have included taking part in Help for Heroes’ Cambodia Trek and its Big Battlefield Bike Ride, an award-winning cycle challenge visiting historic wartime battle sites.
“It’s not just about raising money – it’s also rewarding to see how important sport is to their recovery and to see them develop. At the golf days players hear first-hand the impact the charity has made to the veterans they are teeing off with and that makes us want to keep going,” he said.
Dean Williams, Area Fundraising Manager at Help for Heroes who is based in Hinckley, added: “Shaun, along with his family and friends, and everyone at Notts Sport, have been incredible supportive of the work of Help for Heroes for the past seven years. They have not only enabled a huge amount of support to our veterans and their families through their fundraising but have also welcomed them with open arms to their events, helping them live well after service.
“Dedication like this is priceless, our charity is reliant on public donations for more than 90 per cent of our income so we and our veterans are extremely fortunate to have Shaun and his team behind us. We honestly can’t thank them enough, they’re the best!”
To donate, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nottssportcharity
