Memorial quiz shows the spirit of Mr Hinckley Football Simon
MONEY has been raised in memory of a Hinckley football fan with a quiz night at a town pub.
Hinckley AFC supporters joined the moneymaking event at The New Plough Inn on Leicester Road in memory of former fan Simon Blyth who died from cancer in January, aged 50.
Mr Blyth was a stalwart AFC supporter and a regular at the pub quiz nights which are held monthly to raise money for causes around the town and borough.
The £540 raised in his memory has been passed on to the club he loved, which has pledged to put it to good use.
Club chairman Steve Jelfs said: “It won’t be kept by the club, that wouldn’t be right.”
He said the club had recently made a donation to Burbage man Nick O’Meara, towards costs of specialist treatment in Mexico to help halt the onset of progressive multiple sclerosis, and that the quiz money might be used to further that support. Mr Jelfs said: “We knew Simon for his association with football but he was well known in Hinckley as a whole.
“Simon cared passionately about Hinckley and I hope we can make him proud of the club - and not just on the pitch.
“We want to be more than just a football club, we want to be part of the community.”
Among those who received a cheque in his memory were Mr Blyth’s partner Julia Dale and fellow AFC fan Mac Robinson.
Mr Robinson, who met Mr Blyth back in 1997 when the two former Hinckley clubs merged, said his death not only affected close friends and family but was also a “massive wrench” for the club he so ardently supported.
Since Mr Blyth’s death the club have held several fundraisers and players even wore pink shirts to raise cancer awareness during several matches last season.
The next charity quiz at The New Plough Inn is next Thursday August 31.