Football charity day raises over £6,000 in memory of Melksham teenager

A FOOTBALL fundraiser that was held recently in memory of Ben Smith, a Melksham teenager who died two years ago after being assaulted on a night out in Bath, has raised over £6,000 for three charities.

The fun football match was refereed by top Premier League referee, Sam Allison, a Melksham local and former George Ward School student. The event was held at Oakfield Stadium, home of Melksham Town FC, on Sunday 28th April.

Ben started playing football with Melksham Town Football’s youth team when he was six years of age and he continued for many years. The two teams playing at the charity event included a mix of players from when Ben and his brother Alex played for Melksham Town FC. The final result was 4 – 2 to Ben’s old team.

Ben’s mother, Rachel said, “A highlight of the day was the atmosphere. A lot of people run down the town of Melksham, but actually this proved yesterday that Melksham is a town that comes together.

“We want to do this event every year to raise awareness for One Punch and the other charities.”

The funds raised will be donated to The Ben Saunders Foundation, which raises money for children and young adults with cancer; SmileForJoel, which supports families torn apart by murder and terrorism; and One Punch UK, which raises awareness about the devastation one punch can cause.

Rachel explained, “We did not get justice for our son, so I am not shutting up until I get my story out there. 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.”

Rachel said the fundraising is still increasing and will stay open for another couple of weeks.