Bench will be "lasting" memorial to Tom

FORMER team-mates of talented teenage footballer Tom Bothamley clubbed together to present his relatives with a memorial bench on what would have been his 14th birthday.

Tom, who played for Wickersley Youth Junior Football Club, died suddenly of a rare heart condition at home in July.

His death was the third tragedy to hit his mum Keira Hayden, who lost Tom’s dad Ryan suddenly at the age of 15.

Ryan’s son, Joshua Donnelly, also died on Christmas Day in 2007 aged just 23 months.

Tom’s grandmother Julie arranged for the family to officially present Keira with the bench on Friday - which would have been the teenager’s birthday.

But Len Curtis, chairman of Wickersley Youth - for whom Tom had played since the age of seven - stepped in and raised money for the bench.

Julie said: “It was lovely. Keira had no idea we were planning it. It was very emotional as well, though.

“We had this idea we would do it for his birthday and we got in touch with his football team and said if anybody wanted to chip in, they were more than welcome.

“Len and the club’s board said: ‘No way, we are paying for it.’ It’s absolutely beautiful.”

The bench, engraved Tom’s name and two footballers, was installed outside the Bill Chafer Youth Centre.

Tom, a pupil at Wickersley School, had played football since the age of three.

Len said: “We wanted to get something really special to Tom and something that would last.

“We took the team up there on Sunday and there were a few tears - Tom’s death is still very raw.

“We also presented the family with a framed Wickersley Youth shirt because we’ve had ‘Fly high, Tom’ put on them all for this season.”

Tom’s uncle Lewis Carder has also organised a sponsored walk from his beloved Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium to the club’s away game at Huddersfield on Sunday to raise money for SADS UK and a defibrillator.

Julie said: “We’ve got to leave at midnight because they’ve brought the kick-off forward to noon.”

Forty-five of Tom’s family, friends and team-mates will take part, with hopes of funding a defibrillator for outsise Wickersley School.

Julie added: “The support we’ve had really helps because it gives you something to focus on.

“This week has been especially emotional because Tom would have been just 14.”