Brothers Shane and Ian Hoyle from Dartford have raised £30K for KSS, thanks to a series of fundraisers in memory of their brother, Andy and nephew, Joshua who sadly died following a road traffic accident in August 2021.
The latest initiative, a Charity Football Match at Seven Acres Sports Ground in Abbey Wood, in which Shane and Ian both played for the KSSAA team, took place on 26th June against Mental Health United from Brighton.
To celebrate Andy and Joshua’s lives, the family arranged a range of activities at the Charity Football Match including a bouncy castle, face painting, a raffle and tombola as well as an ice cream van and hot food van. There was a huge amount of support from members of the local community as well as from people who knew and loved Andy and Joshua.
Shane Hoyle explains, “My brother, Andy was a big football fan and last year we decided to set up an annual Charity Football Match in memory of Andy and Joshua. Teams play for the Memorial Shield, sponsored by the Gallagher RE Foundation.
“We originally planned to hold the event at Crayford Arrows which was where we held our first Charity Football Match. However, due to ground works taking place, this wasn’t possible. Lizzie and Stuart Crawford from Crayford Arrows found us an alternative venue through the football community – and they even came down on the day with their family to show their support.”
“There are so many people we’d like to thank for helping to make this event such a success, including my Mum, May Ousey, who made bags to sell, and Elaine Hurford who made jewellery and also arranged the raffle, along with Debbie Hicks. Sean Mardell was the DJ and Nelz did the club photography.”
For Shane and his family, the Memorial Shield is their way of keeping Andy and Joshua’s memory alive and an ideal way to fundraise for KSS on an ongoing basis.
Shane Hoyle continues, “We are forever grateful to them for getting Joshua quickly to King’s College Hospital to keep him in our lives for nine extra days, giving our family the chance to say our goodbyes and kiss him goodnight.”
“KSS is a charity and they rely on donations from the likes of you and me in order to operate 24/7. We want to give back and thank KSS for the role they played in our lives. By raising money, we are playing a part in helping to support another family in their hour of need.”
Kelly Heaton-Ralph, our Executive Director of Fundraising and Philanthropy said, “Thank you so much to the Hoyle family for their remarkable bravery and support of KSS. Their football match in June raised £2,000, taking the total they have collected for KSS to an incredible £30,000. Each year, we must raise £15.2M to operate our life-saving service. 86% of our total income is raised through the generosity of KSS’s supporters.”
To donate via the Hoyle family, please click here.
