Summer 2017

It’s been a busy summer of fundraising for Dan’s memorial fund which started in May with 20 of Dan’s friends and family taking on a 10k Born survivor assault course at Capesthorne Hall in Cheshire. There were 30 obstacles to climb over and under, mud to wade through, tyres and barbed wire to crawl under and 2 water jumps to negotiate.  We started the day in Bright Orange t shirts but finished soaked and covered in mud. Altogether we the team raised over £1,200 and had a really good time doing it.

On the 3rd of June we held the 2nd Dan Hughes 7 a side football tournament at Audley Football Club. There were 8 new teams competing this year as we increased the number from 8 to 16. One of the new teams was a ladies team captained by Dan’s sister Kim, they didn’t win a game but their efforts were well appreciated by everyone who attended on the day. Organising over 112 footballers proved a challenge but the event went without a hitch on a lovely June afternoon. The eventual winners after a marathon penalty shoot out were Audley F.C. under 21’s. The day raised £1,784 for Dan’s fund.

A week later and 5 of us walked the 13 miles of the potter’s half marathon course with collection buckets and took £175.00 in collections on the way around the course.

Not to be outdone by the lads, Dan’s mum Sue, Sister Kim and 11 other women decided to take on a 5k colour run at Aintree racecourse in Liverpool. This entailed clambering over inflatable obstacles whilst having coloured powder paint thrown and sprayed at them as they went. They all completed the course, had great fun in the process and raised £764.00.

On August the 13th we staged what is fast becoming our biggest day of fundraising, the Dan Hughes 8 a side cricket tournament. The day started at 9 am and ran through until around 10 PM in the evening. As well as the cricket there was a dedicated children’s play area with bouncy castles, slides and lots of other things to keep the kids amused. We had a special 10 over’s per side game between a team of ex Stoke City footballers and local veterans which proved to be a real success. Local business ‘s got more involved this year and we were also happy to have the local scout group on hand to help with car parking etc. The local radio station, hitmix, broadcast live from the event and the day ended with people dancing the night away to their music. Raffles, spot auctions, face painting, stalls and plenty of food plus excellent weather made the day a real success. The cricket proved to be entertaining and competitive with Hosts Wood Lane winning a close fought final. The event really brings the community together as there is something for everyone and the generosity of the local people meant that we raised £5,800 from the event.

A week later and another change of sport ; we held a 12 hour darts marathon at a local pub, the Boughey Arms. Another success as the event raised over £1,200 and we were able to spread the word and raise awareness to a whole new group of people.

On the 28th of October 1 of Daniel’s close friends, Nathan Stubbs organised an event he named CRYing with laughter at the Mitchell Arts centre in Stoke on Trent, 4 comedians entertained around 230 people during the evening which raised £2,800.

We have also spent several weekends collecting and raising awareness in supermarkets and at various events around the area during the summer and have received donations from other sources. We are also very grateful for the continued support and interest shown by unite union in the East Midlands and we are working together increase awareness and raise funds for further screening days in that region. Altogether during the summer over £25,000 has been raised and over 500 young people have been screened via the Dan Hughes memorial fund. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and supported us.

David Hughes