Notts Sports

More than £160,000 has been raised in memory of a much-loved supporter of Help for Heroes who died of a rare illness, aged just 20.

Events held to honour Jack Patrick from Walton, near Lutterworth, by his family and friends include charity cricket matches in Lutterworth, golf days and the annual Boxing Day wheelie-bin race in Bruntingthorpe.

His father, Shaun, said Jack packed more into his 20 years than most people do in a lifetime. “He was the most amazing person, his character was larger than life and he always made the most of every day.”

Jack, a devoted Leicester City fan, died of a very rare auto immune disease called Goodpasture Syndrome on November 1, 2015.  “He was incredibly proud of anyone who served in the military, and he had a big concern about veterans who were not looked after and were left to suffer – it was his big passion,” said Shaun.

“Donations made at his funeral totalled about £6,000 and we decided that we could continue to raise money as a legacy in his name,” explained Shaun, Chief Executive of Notts Sport, a family firm based in Leicester where Jack worked in the Marketing Department. 

As a leading specialist in artificial turf, Notts Sport has supplied more than 16,000 cricket pitches, 1,800 hockey and football pitches and 14,000 playgrounds in 44 counties over the last 37 years. Its charity cricket match, featuring veterans has now become a popular annual fixture and Shaun has become good friends with many members of the team. Other epic feats include taking part in Cambodia Trek and its Big Battlefield Bike Ride, an award-winning cycle challenge visiting historic wartime battle sites.