ORGANISERS of a fundraising event in memory of a beloved member of the community have been ‘overwhelmed’ by the support shown.
Kelly Jackson, who was born with spina bifida, died in April 2020, with a recent football fundraiser collecting money for charity.
Spina bifida is when a baby’s spine and spinal cord doesn’t develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine.
Ms Jackson, who lived in Donnington, was unable to walk and spent most of her life in a wheelchair, but was unfazed by her condition.
READ AGAIN: Footy fundraiser in memory of beloved member of community
Hundreds of people celebrated her life during a mammoth five-a-side football tournament at Leys Pools and Leisure Centre in Blackbird Leys.
More than £1,000 was raised to support the Kelly Jackson Memorial Fund, a charity created in Ms Jackson’s name.
A football tournament fundraiser was held in Blackbird Leys, in memory of Kelly Jackson. Picture: Ed Nix
Her sister, Dana Jackson, told the Oxford Mail: “It was the first event of that sort, so it was all trial and error, but we were overwhelmed by the number of people who came along.
“It was a really good day and a really good event.
“We’re a small charity and we’ve only been running for two years, so every penny counts.
“Kelly knew everyone and she was a chatterbox, but we didn’t know the extent of how many people she knew until now.”
A football tournament fundraiser was held in Blackbird Leys, in memory of Kelly Jackson. Picture: Ed Nix
Charity committee member Barrie Evans said: “It went really well, we raised over £1,000.
“It was a really good turnout. The community got together and it was really nice.
“Plenty of food was sold and lots of merchandise too.
“All the yellow and red cards were fines of £1 and £2, and towards the end of the day, the referee was giving out yellow and red cards left, right and centre – I picked up seven myself.”
A football tournament fundraiser was held in Blackbird Leys, in memory of Kelly Jackson. Picture: Ed Nix
Looking ahead to future fundraisers, Mr Evans added: “We’re already planning next year as we want to make it an annual thing.
“We got together as a committee afterwards as we had so many people asking whether we’ll do it again, and we decided to set up annually.
“We were shocked by the amount of people, I’d say there was at least 200 throughout the day, and it helped that the weather was lovely too.
“We had a lot of people drop in because they were walking past so next year, we’re looking to advertise a bit more and make it a real big thing.”
Ms Jackson raised money throughout her life, for various good causes, including The Tebbit Centre at Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Race for Life, and Children in Need.
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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice