Following the sudden and tragic death of Nic Willoughby, aged 22, his friends and family set up a charitable fund in his name, in partnership with Heart of Bucks.
Nic loved nothing more than being involved in grassroots sports clubs in his local area and so those closest to him decided that the fund would support these invaluable clubs around the county, with a particular focus on small sports clubs in need of critical financial support on the small scale.
One of Nic’s close friends George Miller said:
Nic would be thrilled to see a fund such as this aiding the improvement of grassroots sports clubs.
The fund opened in October 2018 and has received hundreds of generous donations since then, reaching over £16,000.
Nic’s family and friends recently held their first fundraising event; a quiz night that included fun games and a raffle, which raised an additional £1,033 for the fund.
At the event, together with Catherine Miller, Grants Officer for Heart of Bucks, Chearsley Cricket Club were presented with a cheque for the first grant. They were awarded £500 which they will use to develop the junior section of their club.
Another two sports clubs and three schools also received grants of £500. These organisations were selected as they meant a lot to Nic and would be able to use the funding for sporting opportunities. Going forward there will be an application process twice a year for organisations to apply for funding.
Jackie Chandler, Nic’s mother said:
Everyone directly involved with the Nic Willoughby Fund was ecstatic with the success of the first fundraiser. We never expected it to raise as much as it has, and will look to continue to host more events in the near future. I cannot fault the efforts of anyone involved, we’re all working so hard to raise funds for a fantastic cause. It was great to hear from Chearsley CC about what they will be putting the first grant towards – a little bit can go a long way at grassroots level.
To make a donation to the Nic Willoughby Fund please visit our Total Giving page
