Donna's Day, one to remember

Friends gather at rugby club to raise funds for Cancer Care in memory of popular player

MEMBERS of Thatcham’s sporting community have paid tribute to “an inspirational and determined” woman who lost her life to cancer.

Donna Futcher, an original member of Thatcham Rugby Club’s touch rugby team, the Red Sox, died of cancer two days before Christmas last year. She was 47.

Her friends organised an event to remember Donna and to raise money for the Newbury and District Cancer Care Trust, which supported Donna towards the end of life.

Donna’s Day culminated in a three-hour sponsored touch rugby match and other fundraising activities at the Henwick Worthy Sports Ground on Saturday, which raised more than £4,500.

Speaking at the event Mrs Futcher’s lifelong friend, Sue Panting, and event organiser Annabelle Hudson said that Donna was “one of life’s good ones” and “a truly inspiring person” who would continue to put others before herself while fighting the cancer ravaging her body.

They said that Donna loved playing touch rugby and showed determination for the game and her friends by continuing to support the club during her illness.

Addressing the players after the match, an emotional Mrs Hudson said that she had met some of the most inspiring people in her life through being a volunteer driver for the trust.

“Every single penny today is going to the trust and in memory of our beautiful friend,” she said, and thanked everyone who had taken part and helped on the day.

Chief executive of the Newbury and District Cancer Care Trust, Helen Milroy, said: “It’s terrible at any age for people to get cancer, especially like Donna who was so young.

“Anybody who does anything for charity means a lot. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

She thanked everybody for their support as the trust receives no money and is funded through donations, with it costing £50,000 a year to transport people with cancer to Reading.

“The local community in West Berkshire is just an amazing community,” Mrs Milroy said.

“It supports its own and puts its hands in its pockets not just for our charity but other charities.”

Thatcham Rugby Club president Bob Moore said the event was a great example of the club as a community- based family organisation.

He said that the club had held many fundraising events for the trust starting when his good friend Roger Rance died of cancer several years ago.

The Red Sox meet at the Henwick Worthy Sports Ground between 7pm and 8pm on Mondays.