Charity Cricket Match Raises £4,413!
We're 'bowled over' by one family’s incredible effort to raise funds for the Friarage
Valerie Halderthay was cared for on the Romanby ward at the Friarage, and sadly passed away from illness on 10th March. Her sons, Richard, Andrew and Daniel, along with their Dad, Michael, held a charity cricket match in her memory, at Stratford-upon-Avon cricket club on Sunday 27th July. Valerie’s husband, Michael, told us about her illness and her subsequent treatment:
“Valerie and I celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary in September 2023. She always wanted to go to Alaska and try to see the Northern Lights. So, we went there and did a fly-drive holiday, travelling about 2,500 miles up towards the Arctic Circle and back down to Anchorage. We did manage to see the lights briefly, which was great, but towards the end of the holiday Valerie was struggling with her breathing. She had been diagnosed with mild COPD many years ago but it was clear when we got home that all was not well.
In June 2024 her breathing had deteriorated. She was admitted to the Friarage with the result that she had to be on oxygen for 24 hours a day. She had two spells in hospital in the September and October on the Romanby ward.
In December 2024 we received the news that Valerie had between 2-3 months left to live. It was her wish to die at home and she sadly passed away on the 10th March 2025 with myself, our youngest son Daniel and our eldest Granddaughter, Heather at her side.”
The three brothers decided that as she had been so well cared for by the staff at the Friarage, both on the ward and by the respiratory staff, that they wanted to do something to raise money in her memory. Being keen cricketers, eldest son Andrew came up with the idea of a charity cricket match at the Stratford-upon-Avon cricket club, with Stratford being close to where the family lived for over 30 years and where lots of their family and friends are still.
Middle son, Richard setup the JustGiving page and then he, along with Daniel helped Andrew to arrange everything.
It was a real team effort and family affair - Andrew captained one team and Richard and Daniel jointly captained the other. Their friends came from all over the country with their families to either play or support, with one even flying in all the way from Dubai!
The day was a huge success - a lot of Valerie's friends came and they had a cake stall, a strawberries and cream stall, a tombola, children's sweets stall, and a raffle which had some incredible prizes donated including Afternoon Tea for Two at The Ritz, and a stay at one of the Hilton hotels in London. They also have cricket bat signed by none other than the England Captain, Ben Stokes, which they plan to auction at a later date.
The family put in a fantastic effort and their hard work paid off - with over 120 people attending they raised £1,238 on the day plus £3,174 on the JustGiving page, giving a staggering total of £4,412! Together with the GiftAid donations that means they’ve raised over £5,000 – what an incredible achievement!
We are truly grateful to the family for choosing to raise funds for the Friends of the Friarage and would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you for all their efforts. What a wonderful way to honour Valerie’s memory and to give back to those who cared for her.