Simon Hardiman, with the help of his friends, family and work colleagues, has raised a fantastic £1,000 to support leukaemia patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, after being successfully treated for the disease himself.

Football-mad Simon decided to raise money for QEHB Charity by hosting a day of football and charity fun in Malvern, Worcestershire, where he lives. Simon, nicknamed Shinty in his schooldays thanks to his tendency to kick fellow footballers in the shins, hosted five-a-side and eleven-a-side matches between Shinty’s Veterans and Malvern Vale F.C. followed by a charity tombola and blind auction at the Cross Keys pub. 

The day was a fantastic success, with Simon making his footballing comeback in the eleven-a-side match, even scoring the winning penalty in the final minute! Simon said: “I think the penalty in the last minute might have been a bit set up, but overall it was a fantastic day of fundraising and celebrating the life that I am able to live thanks to the amazing doctors at QEHB.”

Simon was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in February 2017, and was treated at QEHB during which time he received five rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant before getting the all-clear in July 2017. Overall, Simon spent 154 days in hospital in 2017, which was a gruelling time for him and his loved ones.

He said: “During my time in hospital I was determined that I would do something to give back for the amazing care I received, without which I wouldn’t be here today. I have always enjoyed playing and watching football so I thought that hosting a charity football day would be a great idea!”

Having followed Plymouth Argyle all his life, Simon wrote to the club, and the other 91 English Football League clubs, to ask for their support in his fundraising. To his delight, Simon received a call from Paul Wotton, assistant manager and club legend at Argyle.

Simon said: “It was so special to speak to Paul, he was incredibly supportive and we had a nice long conversation about my experiences. He arranged for a signed pennant to be sent along for us to auction on the day.”
Plymouth Argyle weren’t the only club to support Simon’s efforts, with clubs across the country sending items along to be auctioned, helping him to reach his fantastic £1,000 target.

Reflecting on his period of illness, Simon said: “I’m incredibly grateful to so many people for their support, especially my partner and all of my close friends and family. Every single member of staff that I met at QEHB was amazing, my thanks go to Professor Craddock and Dr Nick Duncan in particular.”

Simon has worked for Jaguar Land Rover and Unipart for the past 21 years, and he received close support from his colleagues whilst he was in hospital. He said: “Mark Briscoe, Operations Manager at Jaguar Land Rover was fantastic, not only was I supported financially throughout, but he arranged for my colleagues to visit me on a weekly basis, keeping me company and boosting my spirits during what was a very difficult time.”

Cathryn Worth, Fundraising Manager at QEHB Charity, said: “The Charity’s thanks go to Simon for raising such a brilliant amount of money following what must have been a very tough period for him and his family.

“QEHB Charity works to provide ‘added extras’ for patients at the hospital. From providing free accommodation for leukaemia patients and their families in Karen’s Home from Home, to funding world class research, QEHB Charity works to go ‘over and above’ for leukaemia patients in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

“The money Simon has raised will go a long way in helping us to continue to provide world class care for patients here at QEHB.”

Simon and his friends enjoyed a day of footballing action and fundraising. 

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