News Archive

Seventies Night Fever (October 09)

Kate Orr and her band of helpers transformed Grayswood Village Hall into glittering Studio Grayswood for the evening on Saturday 17 October. 100 guests arrived in a wide range of costumes spanning the decade, from hippy to punk, and after Paul Robinson’s traditional 70s three-course meal of prawn cocktail, chicken chasseur and black forest gateau danced the night away to the sounds of the Ian James Band and the RG Roadshow Disco.

The evening was particularly special for the Trust, as the proceeds of £2,700 pushed the overall funds raised by the charity to over a quarter of a million pounds.

Our thanks go to everyone who helped make the night so enjoyable, and to Sue Griffiths Jewellery, the Inn on the Hill and Mandy and John Simpson for the raffle prizes. Click here for more photos and please send us any you’d like us to include.

Michael Burgess (August 09)

One of the recipients of our Surrey development

programme, Michael Burgess, was awarded the Graham Kersey prize for the best 'keeper in the 2009 Bunbury Festival at Charterhouse, together with one of the four David English scholarships which will see him spending a week with the full England squad at Loughborough in 2010. He has also been selected for the England U15 squad.

Michael is seen here collecting his award from David English.

Memorial Cricket Match (July 09)

Many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the cricket match such fun. It looks as if we have raised over £1,000! Fortunately our special correspondent was at the ground to cover the drama of the afternoon’s events– follow this link for his Match Report.

Jazz Concert (May 09)

On Tuesday 5 May, 5 May 2009, Luke Shoham and Timian Brierley organised “Concert for Ben” at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, which raised over £500. The band, was under the baton (for the most difficult bits) of Barney Lowe, and included members of the Surrey County Youth Jazz Orchestra. The audience was treated to a wonderful selection of jazz numbers, with enchanting vocals provided by Laura McDonald. Thanks to all who contributed to such an enjoyable and successful evening.

Book Swap (March 09)

Lucy Prosser’s book swap on Saturday 21 March was a great success, raising over £320 for the Trust. Many thanks to Lucy and everyone who supported the event. If you would like to organise something similar, please let us know.

Hampshire Wicket Keeping Programme (March 09)

The Trust has agreed to fund a programme which aims to standardise the approach to wicketkeeping development across Hampshire, and provide specialist coaching for up to forty young keepers. The Hampshire Cricket Board proposal is spearheaded by Hampshire’s specialist wicketkeeping coach Bobby Parks and covers both District and County levels across all age groups. Initially Bobby will work with the head coaches from each District and the County squads, and he will then visit each District and County squad in turn to run wicketkeeping clinics directly with the players involved. There are further details on our cricket page.

Coffee Morning (December 08)

Many thanks to all who contributed to making the coffee morning on Saturday 6 December such a success, whether through providing Christmas gifts or cakes, or for supporting us on the day. Particular thanks go to Clare Taylor and her team for the beautiful Christmas wreaths that again were a sell out and helped us to raise over £1,600.

Burdett Trust for Nursing (November 08)

A major contribution to the funding of Ben’s Nurse has been received from the Burdett Trust for Nursing. This is tremendous news as the grant covers almost half of the cost of the post for three years, and offers real security for its establishment and development. The Burdett Trust for Nursing makes grants to support the nursing contribution to healthcare, and aims to encourage nurses and other healthcare professionals in a wide range of innovative projects.

Kilimanjaro (October 08)

Rob Metcalf reached the summit of Kilimanjaro at dawn on Friday 31 October. Uhuru peak is at 5,895m (19,340ft) and the amount of oxygen in atmosphere is less than half that at sea level. Talking about the final push to the top, Rob’s text read “The most challenging and exhausting 24 hours I’ve had. Shattered, but mission complete. Hit the summit for sunrise at 6.30am.” Rob has raised £3,000 to be shared between the Trust and the Cri du Chat Syndrome Support Group.

Jig for Victory (October 08)

On Saturday 11 October, Grayswood Village Hall was transformed back in time to the 1940s for a VE night celebration. The evening celebrations included a three course meal with Corporal Jones’ bangers and mash, followed by dancing to the amazing Ian James Orchestra. Thanks to everyone who came, and in particular to India, Kate, Nick and all those who helped make the evening such great fun and raised £1,600 towards the war effort. Click here for more photos.

Luke’s Great North Run (October 08)

Congratulations to Luke Shoham for completing the Great North Run on 5 October in a time of 1 hour 33 minutes and 42 seconds – a magnificent achievement putting him well within the fastest 5% of the field! Luke has raised over £1,100 for the Trust.

Jon Batty becomes a Trust Patron (September 08)

We are delighted that Jon Batty has agreed to become a Patron of the Trust. Jon has been wicket-keeper at Surrey since 1997, during which time he has scored over 7,500 first class runs, including 17 centuries at an average of 35, taken 433 catches and completed 60 stumpings. He equaled the world record for most catches in an innings, with eight against Kent at The Oval in 2004. Jon is involved with taking cricket into the local youth community as the Community Ambassador from the Surrey playing staff. A large proportion of his role will be taken up with the Playing for Success initiative, which is an after school scheme run in partnership with Lambeth Council and the Department for Education and Skills. Jon has also played a very active role in the wicketkeeping development programme.

Music for a Summer’s Evening (August 08)

By kind permission of Mike and Sarah More-Molyneux, the Great Hall at Loseley Park was the wonderful setting for an evening of opera arias and songs from the American shows on Saturday 16 August. After a champagne reception in the walled garden, Peter Bording, Renata Ahrends, and Jennifer Akhurst treated us to a magical performance, accompanied by Frances Hills and Daniel Beach. We hope to publish more pictures of the concert soon.

The programme, which had been specially chosen by the performers, included music by Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Lehar, Gershwin, Kern, Porter, Mancini and Sondheim.

The evening raised over £3,800, and we would like to give our thanks to Mike and Sarah for welcoming us into their home, to the performers and particularly to Jenny, who devised and co-ordinated the concert. (Photo by John Pheasant)

Charity Sale (August 08)

Well done to Heather, Ellena, Callum, Alasdair and Jasmine who raised £40 for the Trust at a Charity Sale on Thursday 14 August.

Sponsored Cycle Ride (August 08)

Congratulations to Ed Longdon, Tom Griffiths and Paddy Shacklady from the RGS Guildford who have cycled 1,200km from Montpellier to Caen. They left Montpellier on the 19th July making their way up the very steep mountains through to Millau to see the viaduct and then Clermont, to Orleans and stopping in Versailles so travel to Paris for the day. One of the highlights of the trip was the stage through the Gorges du Tarn. From Paris the road led to Caen and the overnight ferry to Portsmouth before cycling home to Guildford where the ride officially ended on the 1st August.

Ed said "when Ben died it hit everyone at the school very hard. We've been wanting to do something in his memory, and this seemed like a great way to remember him." The boys have raised over £4,850 – a truly amazing effort.

Sugar Loaf Sponsored Walk (July 08)

Forty people walked the twenty kilometres from Llanthony Priory to Abergavenny via the Sugar Loaf on Saturday 12 August to raise funds for the Trust. To greet us at the summit of the Sugar Loaf was a glorious view of the Lancaster from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flying along the valley below. Refreshments and a wonderful evening’s food and drink were provided to the walkers, their families and friends by the substantial support team, led by Jane and Huw. Thanks also to Owen and Ellie for making the day so successful and such fun and for raising £1,500 in the process.

Memorial Cricket Match (June 08)

In a high scoring 20 overs a side match at Grayswood on Sunday 29 June, 13 sixes and 44 fours were struck to all corners of the village, causing a temporary rise in the price of replacement balls. Luke and Andy McAllister, Ben Robinson, Simon Rivers, Rory Andrews, Nigel Williams, Richard Sabin, Ian Jackson and Alastair Gloak all contributed robustly with the bat, but none could match the daring and artistry of Will Maud’s switch hit. On a day that some bowlers would rather forget with an average of 9.5 runs coming from each over, Luke Shoham conceded only eight runs off his three as he effectively closed out the game. Andy McAllister and John Orr captained with the guile and cunning appropriate to their many years experience, but it’s a shame that their fielding didn’t set the proceedings alight in the same way that the barbeque did. The greatest achievement of the afternoon however was undoubtedly Sharon Reynolds fitting the olive tree that she won in the raffle into her car and still being able to drive. One for Clarkson, May and Hammond perhaps? Many thanks to all of you who helped on the day and who supported the event, which looks set to have raised £800.

Alastair’s Walk (June 08)

Alastair Gloak has raised over £800 by walking over 50 miles in one stretch from Brighton to Charterhouse – well worth the sore legs, even if it did slow him down a bit for the Memorial cricket match (see above…).

In Memory of Tony Smith (May 08)

Each year Surbiton Hockey Club Colts hold a day in memory of hockey and cricket coach Tony Smith, who died of a heart attack shortly after Ben. This year they have raised a magnificent £200 for the Trust, bring the total donated in memory of Tony to over £1,600. Our thanks to everyone who has contributed.

Jenny runs for the Trust (Apr 08)

Congratulations to Jenny Wilk who completed Shakespeare Marathon for the Trust in Stratford on Avon on Sunday 27 April in the brilliant time of 4 hours, 12 minutes and 37 seconds and raised over £550 for the Trust.

Said Jenny: “I’ve completed the marathon in one piece! I enjoyed the first half but the second bit, particularly the last 6 miles, were very tough. Stratford was lovely so I was able to distract myself looking around at the beautiful houses and scenery. Thank you to all of you who have sponsored already-you have been very generous...knowing what a good cause I was running for and the generosity of those who have sponsored definitely kept me going.”

Alec Stewart works with our Keepers (Mar 08)

Trust patron Alec Stewart has been working with our young Surrey wicketkeepers at the Surrey Cricket Centre, Burpham. This is a fabulous opportunity for the boys to learn from an England captain and keeper with over 100 test appearances to his name. Alec has been interviewed by Surrey TV, and the interview and pictures of Alec putting the boys through their paces are available on the Surrey Cricket website – follow the link to Surrey TV and enter “Ben Williams Trust” in the search box.

Nursing Post Confirmed (Feb 08)

We are thrilled that Catherine Renwick has been appointed to be the Paediatric Cardiac Electrophysiology Nurse Specialist at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London. Catherine will be in this new post from 1 April, and will provide much needed advice, information and support to children with electrophysiological impairment of their hearts, and to their brothers, sisters and families. Whilst based at the Brompton, Catherine will provide support to families across the wide geographic area covered by the hospital, visiting homes and liaising with schools, GPs, and other care workers and interested parties. At any one time, there are about 100 families that can benefit from support.

Coffee Morning (Dec 07)

The coffee morning at Burnside on 8th December has raised over £1,400. Clare Taylor’s wonderful wreaths and decorations sold like hot cakes, and the hot cakes sold like Clare Taylor’s wreaths and decorations. Grateful thanks to Clare and everyone who supported the event, and particularly to those who clambered over fallen trees to get there.

Wicket Keeping Development Programme on Surrey Cricket TV (Nov 07)

The Trust is funding an intensive winter training programme for two young Surrey wicketkeepers. Rory Burns and Michael Burgess are having one to one coaching with Surrey keeper Jonathan Batty. You can find interviews and film of one of the sessions on the Surrey Cricket website – just click on Surrey TV and enter “Ben Williams Trust” in the search box.

Guildford Networkers (Oct 07)

The Trust has received a donation of £100 from the Peal Networking Club. Philip Mendonça, who set up the Club said “We are delighted to be able to support The Ben Williams Trust, which is a very popular choice of charity amongst our members.” A large number of them made a voluntary £1 contribution when attending networking events in Haslemere and Guildford , and this cheque represents a contribution from a substantial number of people.”

Climb Ben for Ben (Sep 07)

On September 15th 2007 the summit team of James and Chrissie Chapman; Greg and Daphne Bleach, Jessie, Josh and Hannah; and Phil, Gilly and Jonathan Williams (with ground support from Jan Smith) conquered Ben Nevis and returned to base camp (the Ben Nevis Inn) in a very respectable time of just over 6 hours. The team was undeterred by less than perfect conditions, with rain, wind, mist and cloud and the prospect of snow and freezing conditions. Hannah at 12 years and 1 day led the way with her brother Josh making it look like a walk in the park and the rest of us trudged behind. All in all it was a wonderful day out and much laughter was shared by all as we supported each other to the top and down again. More pictures on our Ben Nevis page.

Special thanks are due to Chrissie for organising the whole event which raised a fabulous £4,900 and to the hotel that we stayed in for making Fawlty Towers look like a well run establishment.

Ben Williams Memorial Cricket Match (Jul 07)

The weekend of the 7th and 8th July 2007 was a very busy one in Grayswood. On Saturday night, Grayswood Cricket Club held an eighteenth birthday ball, and very kindly nominated the Trust as its charity for the evening. A terrific evening’s entertainment raised over £12,000 for the Trust – we are extremely grateful to everyone involved, but especially to the Club Chairman, Steve Frye, and his committee. On Sunday, the 2007 Ben Williams Memorial Twenty:20 cricket match took place on Grayswood village green, taking advantage of the fine weather that Steve Frye had arranged for the previous night.

Spinners Simon Nobes, John Orr and Jamie Richards took seven wickets between them, but the runs scored by Nigel Williams, Simon Rivers and Rory Andrews were just enough to carry their side to victory, despite contributions in reply from Luke McAllister, Tom White and Jamie Green. Highlight of the afternoon for Grayswood veterans was the sight of Phil Jackson being run out goin

g for a fourth.

Whilst primarily a social event, the afternoon raised over £1,200 for the Trust. The Glaser’s elderflower cordial was again a popular success, and the raffle included an olive tree donated by Grayswood Architectural Plants, two tickets donated by London RIB Voyages and a champagne hamper donated by Dilla and Humphrey Davis.

In the end of the match presentation, Ben’s father Phil Williams thanked everyone involved for contributing to the day’s success, and was able to announce that the Trust has now raised over £100,000.

RGS Bands Concert (Jun 07)

The RGS Guildford nominated the Trust as the charity that it was supporting at its Bands Concert on Wednesday 27th June. The performers were the Big Band, the Concert Band, the Brierley Jazz Ensemble and the Elson Jazz Quintet and it was great to see a number of Ben’s friends playing. On top of being a most enjoyable evening, almost £1,800 was raised for the Trust. Many thanks to everyone involved.

New Trustees Appointed (Jun 07)

We are delighted to announce the appointment of two new Trustees.

David Newman, Ben’s godfather, is a Chartered Physiotherapist specializing in sports related injuries. He was the physiotherapist for Hampshire Cricket Club from 1985 to 2003, and sat on the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Science and Medicine Advisory Group as Physiotherapy Advisor. His role with the ECB was extended in 2001 when he was appointed Injury Surveillance Officer, with the main responsibility of monitoring injuries within the First Class game in the UK. David is currently the Honorary Secretary of the Physiotherapists in County Cricket.

Jonathan Williams, Ben’s brother, has just completed his school career at the RGS Guildford. Jonathan has already provided a huge amount of support to the Trust behind the scenes. He has been and will continue to be our IT guru, and has largely been responsible for the design and build of this website. One of his early responsibilities will be to teach his parents how to keep the website going during his absence at university!

Just Giving Online Donations (May 07)

The Trust has teamed up with Just Giving to create a secure online donations facility. Just Giving allows you to make a donation using your debit or credit card, either on a one-off or regular basis. The facility allows the Trust to recover Gift Aid where this is applicable. As a supporter of the Trust, you can also set up your own fundraising page – give it a go!

Lake District Sponsored Walk (Apr 07)

Sixty people set out from Caldbeck on a glorious Easter Saturday morning for the sponsored walk to Mungrisdale, covering 26 km and over 1,200m of ascent. The walk joined the Cumbria Way over High Pike and then on to hot soup and rolls from the Cattle Truck and Gazebo snack bar in Mosedale. While some enjoyed the food and sunshine, others (well one actually) swam in the refreshing waters of the Caldew.

The ascent of Bowscale Fell and Bannerdale Crags was harder work, but some also included an optional detour up Blencathra before arriving at Blake Hills for tea, cakes and a blister count.

The day ended with supper at Mungrisdale’s wonderful new village hall and an opportunity to look at a compilation of everyone’s pictures of the walk. Special thanks are due to Fi and Paul Marshall and Janet and Al Beck for planning and managing the day, and to the legion of helpers who made sure that any calories used up on the walk were rapidly replaced.

Look out for pictures on the Sponsored Walk page.

Fundraising Dinner (Mar 07)

Over 330 people gathered in the OCS stand at the Brit Insurance Oval on Thursday 1st March for a fundraising dinner in support of the Trust. The evening started with a champagne reception in the Ashes Suite, with the main event in England Suite. Hosted by Jonny Gould and with Mark Nicholas as the guest speaker, the evening’s entertainment has raised the staggering sum of over £65,000. Review the evening’s fun on the 2007 Dinner page.

Grayswood Coffee Morning (Nov 06)

A coffee morning was held at Burnside on Friday 17th November. Thanks to everyone who came and those who provided cakes, a magnificent £338 was raised for the Trust.

The Ben Williams Trust becomes a Registered Charity (Nov 06)

We are delighted that as from 3rd November 2006, the Trust has gained charitable status. Many thanks to Shaun Parry-Jones, Paul Grimwood and all at Hart Brown Solicitors who have helped us to achieve this in such a short time.

New Electronic Scoreboard at Bradstone Brook (Jul 06)

Thanks to the generosity of the Parents Association and the fundraising efforts of a group of RGS boys, the 1st XI cricket pitch at Bradstone Brook is graced with a new electronic scoreboard. At a ceremony on 7th July, Ben’s parents and brother unveiled a plaque dedicating the scoreboard to Ben’s memory. Special thanks to Ben Robinson, Nick Patrick, Luke Shoham, Alex Turton and Charles Withall.

Ben Williams Memorial Cricket Match (Jul 06)

A sun-drenched Grayswood village green was the delightful setting for a Twenty 20 cricket match on Sunday 2nd July. The match was in memory of Grayswood and Surrey Youth cricketer Ben Williams, who died suddenly of a heart condition at the age of 14 in February.

Two teams of Ben’s family and past and present members of Grayswood Cricket Club braved the heat to take part in a competitive but fun game of cricket, whilst others sought the shade and took advantage of the plentiful refreshments that had been donated for the occasion.

Ben’s team mates Alastair Gloak and Luke Shoham both made unbeaten 30s, but the match winning innings were from Ben’s uncle and cousin Nigel and Richard Sabin, with James Chapman providing some big hitting towards the end.

As well as being a social event for the village, the afternoon was also a fundraising event for the Ben Williams Trust. With the help of a raffle including a family ticket on the London Duck Tour and a meal for two at the Wheatsheaf Inn, and the auction of a cricket ball signed by the Trust’s patron Alec Stewart, over £2,400 was raised.

In the presentation at the end of the game, Ben’s father Phil Williams paid tribute to the spirit of the village and cricket club and thanked everyone involved for making the day such a success.