More than £3,000 raised towards funeral of footballer Mason Peddle
Tears were shed at an ‘emotional’ football match which raised more than £3,000 for the funeral of a popular footballer who tragically died.
The fundraiser for the family of AFC Portchester under-23s captain Mason Peddle, who died last week, was organised by mental health non-profit United Minds FC, whose aim is to de-stigmatise the issue of men’s mental health. United Minds FC played against players from local clubs. Over 400 people attended the game and the total from all donations given is set to increase when a final count is done. In this latest tribute for Mason, described as a ‘true captain’ and popular member of the grassroots football community, players showed their respect with a minute’s silence and applause.
United Minds FC founder
Jack Steed said: ‘We have a few players whop were friends with Mason, and they wanted to put together a match in his memory and to raise dome funds and help his family.
‘There was a speech in both changing rooms from people closetoMasonandthenwe went out onto the pitch. We had a minute’s applause in the middle of the pitch with all the family and the public clapping, which was very emotional. After the game, we got a lot of thanks from the family. It was an emotional evening.
‘For us as a group, this week we’ve had more support fromthecitythanweever have before. Portsmouth as a city , when anything like this happens, really gets behind it and comes together – that’s what happend last night. I saw a lot of tears. From the family, from friends and I shedatearatonepoint.’