21/03/2026
Good afternoon,
This really is a difficult post to send out and it’s not something we usually do as a business.
A close friend of ours sadly lost their son, James on the 24th of October last year. He was just 12 years old. He was playing football at school in Whitley Bay and collapsed. He had a cardiac arrest. He was a fit and healthy young boy with no medical history.
His heart stopped on the playing field at school and with the quick thinking and assistance from his teachers, a defibrillator was used and they managed to get his heart beating again, but as it had been stopped for a while, it caused concerns for damage to his brain.
James was in an induced coma in intensive care for 5 days, where he received the best care and chance for survival. But sadly, on the fifth day the family were advised that he had severe damage to his brain and that they didn't think he would survive off the life support machine. The family made the hardest decision, for James to withdraw life support on the 24th of October 2025.
As a family, and as a community, they were all absolutely devastated by the loss of James. The impact of James' death has been huge. As a family they are totally broken and James' friends, most of whom were present when James collapsed, are really struggling with his sudden and traumatic passing and managing their grief, whilst trying to continue at school. There is obviously a big hole, where James should have been.
There were around 350 people at his memorial, which is testament to the very much loved and amazing boy that he was.
James' school and friends are currently organising some fundraising events to raise money to build a legacy at school to remember James. These include a book sale, where they raised £1,100, a quiz and raffle, a 12hr, 3v3 football tournament, a silent auction (online) and a Soccer Aid style event with a raffle (in person with paper tickets).
Here is a link to the silent auction...
https://bid.indy.auction/auctions/69a0560903f53690f6d4ef13
They plan to buy a "Memorial Talking Bench" for his school and to bring a teeny bit of joy and excitement to his 12-year-old friends. If you know of any other way to donate, we know the family would be extremely grateful.
Many thanks for reading this post. Your support would really go a long way.
