Huge boost to help cricketer get vital mental health treatment
GENEROUS friends and family have raised £10,000 in less than 24 hours to help a cricket legend hit by mental health problems.
Ritchie Howarth, 52, who played cricket for Honley for around two decades, until he retired in 2015, has been suffering from severe mental ill health for the past four years.
He has been too ill to leave the house or do any simple household tasks which has been heartbreaking for his family.
Son Bailey, 17, and stepdaughter Maddy, 24, decided to launch a fundraising appeal this week in the hope that Ritchie can be seen by a private psychiatrist.
Maddy said her stepdad, who lives at Holmbridge, near Holmfirth, had been treated by the NHS but had recently been discharged from consultant care earlier this year.
“Ritchie has had several treatments within the NHS, including many inpatient stays; however, as we all know, the NHS is sadly severely underfunded, particularly in the mental health sector.
“We are reaching the point where they are giving up on Ritchie, who has been officially discharged from consultant care in the NHS since February.”
She added: “We are looking to pay for a private consultant to get their opinion and advice on the best options and treatment for Ritchie; however, as you can imagine, it is not cheap.”
Maddy and Bailey set up a Go Fund Me page with the aim of raising around £3,000 to pay for an initial consultation. But, within the first 24 hours, it has raised around £10,000.
She added: “We all remember Ritchie as the loving, kind, humble man that he is, and we are asking for small contributions to try and get him back to the person he used to be and who we miss so much
“Even the professionals are unclear on what triggered Ritchie’s illness, and led him to be in the condition he is now.
“Four years ago, Ritchie began to suffer with depression, which has since spiralled into a crippling state of severe anxiety, depression and psychosis rendering him completely unable to live anything resembling a normal life.”
Maddy told the Examiner that she was “overwhelmed” by people’s generosity in donating online.
In a post on the funding page, Maddy and Bailey said: “Ritchie has gone through the NHS system and, as much as we appreciate our great health service, sometimes patients don’t get the support and help they need.
“We have been advised to seek help privately to help move Ritchie’s condition forwards.
“This will involve having an initial appointment and review of previous medical treatments, with the hope that Ritchie can be transferred back to the NHS on an appropriate treatment path.
“As many of you are aware, going privately isn’t cheap.
“Ritchie hasn’t been able to work in the last four years and cannot afford to invest in his own future. We hope that through the generosity of his family and friends, we can raise enough money to finally get Ritchie moving in the right direction and back to the great man that we all know and love. We are setting ourselves an initial target of £3,500 to begin with. We hope that through the generosity of his family and friends, we can raise enough money to finally get Ritchie moving in the right direction and back to being the great dad, son and friend we all miss.
“Every penny really will count.” Maddy added: “My dream would be that 2021 is the year Ritchie transforms into the Ritchie we all know and love. Wouldn’t it be amazing to get Ritchie the dad, the son and the friend back that we all know and love so much?”