Match for Lobby raises more than £5,000

Her husband, Paul, 57, was looked after by the hospice in his final days.

He was diagnosed with Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) on January 19, and died just two weeks later.

Millie, 56, of Hills Road, Steyning, organised a football match to remember Paul and to raise money for the hospice, which took place at Steyning Town Football Club on Sunday, August 8.

More than 400 people came along on what was described as a typical ‘Paul’ day and the event included a raffle and auction.

The two teams who played were Lobby’s Lads and Crofty Crusaders, and everyone playing knew Paul.

Millie said she was left ‘blown away’ after £4,634.68 was raised at the match.

An old friend of Paul’s then topped up the amount to £5,000.

Since the match, this amount has risen to £5,269 and the family have now raised a total of £8,568 for the hospice, with help from the community, in just eight months since Paul’s death.

A spokesman for St Barnabas House hospice said: “Millie is such an inspiration. Not only has she has worked hard to raise funds in Lobby’s memory but Millie has also been volunteering as a speaker for St Barnabas House and helping to dispel some of the fears and misconceptions about hospice care.

“We cannot thank Millie enough. She is a great woman, with wonderful family and friends who all worked together to honour Lobby’s memory.”

Paul, known as Lobby and described as a ‘one in a million guy’, coached and played for a number of Southern Combination League football teams across Sussex.

CJD is a rare and fatal condition which causes brain damage that worsens rapidly over time.