Tragic start to fan's fundraising

Tragically, the long-term Hornets fan had already announced he would be abseiling down the side of the Sandman Hotel in Crawley on October 8 and was looking forward to fundraising at Monday's match after sponsoring the fixture when his wife Lauren sadly passed away only hours earlier on Sunday.

Pictured together on their wedding day, she would have celebrated her 31st birthday on Monday and had been bravely battling Pulmonary Hypertension for the last 13 years.

Saddened officials at Gorings Mead say Pedro, as he was known by all at the club, was determined to be at the 3-0 home win over Lewes which started with a minute's applause despite his loss.

The fixture saw Horsham's players sporting pink armbands with a raffle and collection supported by both sets of fans later raising over £1,250 for the St Catherine's Hospice in Crawley.

The Hornets also donated the fan's sponsorship fee to the hospice and by Tuesday night the supporter had also more than doubled the £1,000 fundraising target he'd set himself on his online Just Giving charity page, the total standing at £2,149.26.

A Hornets spokesman said: "Both teams wore coloured armbands and fans in the bumper 424 crowd donned all manner of pink attire for the match. It was particularly poignant as, sadly, Lauren had lost her long battle with the illness on the eve of the match, the day before her 31st birthday."

St Catherine’s Hospice provides end of life care and support to the terminally ill and their families across Crawley, Horsham, East Surrey and Mid Sussex. Each day, the charity needs to raise more than £17,000 to provide free and specialised end of life care for more than 2000 people every year.

For more information visit www.stch.org.uk and to donate go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Peter-Kersley1

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