Ted

This time last year, we were in Spain on a family holiday. Ted had been so looking forward to it. He’d been learning Spanish for three years and was really keen to speak with the locals. He loved that holiday, and the rest of us thoroughly enjoyed it too. We didn’t know it would be our last one together.

By the time Christmas came around, Ted & I knew there wouldn’t be another for our family of six.

And then on 11th February 2024, peritoneal cancer robbed me of my husband, and our four children of their dad.

We’ve been on a hell of a journey between then and now, but I am absolutely determined that my children won’t be robbed of anything else, and I have pulled out all the stops to make this year just the tiniest bit less devastating. More on that in future posts.

Memorial Day

One thing I really wanted to do for Ted was to really celebrate who he was and what he did for others. He was a volunteer facilitator for the local branch of Andy’s Man Club, and he was a grassroots football coach for our older boys. So on the 6th July this year, we held a memorial day in his honour. Two games of football, a bouncy castle, garden games, an absolutely huge raffle, an ice-cream van, a BBQ… and a real coming together of the community. All proceeds were donated to the local hospice.

The day started off looking a bit dodgy, and when I was sat in my car hiding from the heavy rain, almost in tears, I honestly thought the day was a write off. But through the rain my friends and family persevered, putting up last minute gazebos and soldiering on, hoods up and soaked to the bone. They picked me up that day and they’ve continued to do so, in ways they might never realise, until this very day.

The rain cleared, the sun came out, and the people showed up! It was a truly brilliant day.

In total we managed to raise £1502.40, which I’m really proud of! There was a huge amount of support for the raffle from nearby businesses and the local community, which is what really bumped up the total. I was incredibly grateful as well to the football club where Ted was a coach, who allowed me to hold the event within their grounds.

The Football

The adults football match was played between Andy’s Man Club and Ted’s family & friends, and the children’s game was between two of the teams Ted coached – Westbury Cobras and Radcliffe Borough Lions. I managed to catch a fair chunk of each game, and loved watching all of those people, who meant so much to my husband, gathered together in his name.

After the kids game, those thoughtful humans presented me with a custom shirt. My heart could’ve burst with pride and gratitude for those kids and their parents that day.

I actually forget who won the adults game, but in all honesty it really doesn’t matter!

The Legacy

Ted will be remembered by many, many people because he was just an all round good guy. Someone who gave his time to local causes, who believed in doing the right thing, who had morals and patience and loyalty. Ted will be remembered as someone who always looked on the bright side of life, even at the end of his. He will be remembered as an excellent father and a devoted husband, and he leaves a hole in our lives that can never be filled. Ted will be missed in more ways than I can write in this blog post, and more ways than I can ever count.

So thank you. To you, for reading my post. To my ‘village’, for keeping me going. To the wider community for pulling together. To my children for giving me four reasons to keep going.

And to Ted, for loving me the way he did.