A FUN football fundraiser is being held in memory of Ben Smith; a local teenager who died two years ago after being assaulted on a night out in Bath.
The event, on Sunday 28th April at Oakfield Stadium, home of Melksham Town FC, is being held to raise funds for charities that supported the family, after Ben died.
“With a bright future ahead of him, he was close to completing his carpentry apprenticeship at Fitting Tribute Ltd in Edington,” explained Ben’s mum, Rachel Smith. The company has said that Ben was “not only a massive character, but a very valued member of the team.”
Rachel said, “We, as a family and friends, are organising this event and hope it will be a yearly thing. It will be entrance by donation for those aged 16 and over and people can purchase a raffle ticket for £1. The two teams playing will be Ben’s old Melksham town team vs. Alex’s (Ben’s brother’s) old Melksham team and there will be a cup for the winning team.”
The charities the day will raise funds for are: The Ben Saunders Foundation, which raises money for children and young adults with cancer; SmileForJoel, a fundraising charity supporting families torn apart by murder and terrorism; and One Punch UK, which raises awareness about the devastation one punch can cause.
Officiating the match is top Premier League referee, Sam Allison, who grew up locally and was recently made history as the Premier League’s first black referee in 15 years; he was also awarded a Kings Award for Fire Service in this year’s New Year Honours List.
Rachel explained, “Ben was only out that night looking after the girls and sadly, doing that cost him his life. As Ben’s parents, brother and grandmother, our lives are broken because he is no longer with us. One thing we can say, from us and all who knew Ben, is that we are extremely proud of what Ben stood for that night. It cost him his life but he was doing what he always did, which was looking after others and doing the right thing.
“We are organising this in memory of our son, who should still be here. We have not been given justice for his death and we wish to support the charities that supported us by remembering him and doing what he loved, which was football,” said Rachel.
Gates open at 12pm and kick off is at 2pm. Rachel said, “Thank you to Melksham Town Football Club for letting us use the facilities free of charge.”
