Barry Island football match in memory of Ben and Dean

The families of Ben Sydenham and Dean Holland recently held an event in memory of two well-known and well liked Barry Island men who passed away recently. Both men had big personalities and were a big part of the Barry and Barry Island community and had played football for Barry Island YPO in their younger years and attended Barry Comprehensive school.

The day started with a charity football match at Maslin Park. The teams were made up of Ben and Deans friends and family, many of whom hadn’t played for years. Stephen Sydenham, Ben’s brother commented ‘We were overwhelmed with the amount of people who turned up to support us on the day. It was a competitive, good natured match, with a final score of 4-4’.

After the game an evening social event was held at Barry Island Sports and Social club. Everyone enjoyed a disco, raffle, auction and cake sale. This together with a collection at the football match helped to raise and an incredible £6,350.

The funds were evenly split between Mind in the Vale of Glamorgan and Marie Curie, two local charities chosen by the families in memory of Ben Sydenham and Dean Holland.

Stephen commented, ‘We chose Marie Curie because both Ben and Dean had lost close family members due to cancer and Marie Curie offers great support for cancer patients and their families. Stephen, Bens brother chose Mind in the Vale as Ben had struggled with his mental health for the last 20 years and acknowledged how much Mind in the Vale support other young people with similar issues in the local area.

The family of both Ben and Dean would like to thank Kelly Richardson for raising £500 with her number board. Andrew Heffernan for collecting all the sports memorabilia and helping arrange the event, Nicky Stokes, Wayne Hopkins, Matthew Hobbs and Stephen Sydenham for planning and arranging the event.

Mind in the Vale are very grateful for such a generous donation – thank you to all involved.