Buckinghamshire RFU

Fitting Legacy to a Man of Marlow gifted to Wooden Spoon and Wycombe Homeless Connection.

Fellow Marlow players and friends, cast your mind back to August 30th 2019 when we gave Ian a full, fitting and spectacular “Send Off”, worthy of the man. This was only achieved by the generosity of the many who donated towards the cost of his funeral to prevent him having an ignominious, pauper’s ending.
Such was the magnificent and generous response to that appeal by Ian’s friends, within and outside the Marlow Club, that it generated a surplus once the costs of the funeral service and reception had been settled.
It was agreed by the 6 Club Members organising and designing the event that these should be gifted to the rugby charity, the Wooden Spoon and to another local, community-based charity. To this end we have eventually decided to help Wycombe Homeless Connection. This is a charity that helps people who are homeless and acts to stop people from becoming homeless in the first place. They work across south Buckinghamshire offering direct help and free, independent legal advice. It supports those who have lost or are worried about losing their homes. You can find out more on their website https://www.wyhoc.org.uk/

We recently had a meeting via Zoom with their Fundraising and Marketing Manager, Heather Stanley.

Heather said: “After hearing about ‘Rocky’, his life and the impact he had on those who knew him and had given in his memory, it was clear Wycombe Homeless Connection could put Marlow Rugby Club’s generous gift towards helping people who face some of the same challenges that he did.
“We work closely with rough sleepers who face complex challenges, particularly with their mental and physical health. Our Homeless Health support worker, who spent over 35 years as a registered nurse, works with people helping them get the healthcare and support they need. This can include registering them with a GP and helping them talk to their doctor, while sorting out all the ID and social support they need to get their prescriptions and treatment. It can also include helping them get dental treatment and making sure if they do end up in hospital they are discharged somewhere safe and suitable. Too often people who don’t ‘fit’ don’t get the help they need and are entitled to, so we make sure they do.”

The Homeless Health Project really resonated with us as both a community conscious Club and with the knowledge of all Ian’s problems in his later life. We feel it fitting that some of the donations made in his memory will go to help other unfortunate people experiencing similar difficulties and enable them to get the depth of personal, informed and qualified support that sadly were not made available to Ian when he really needed them.

We trust you agree that Ian “Rocky” Richmond’s legacy, made possible through your care, concern and contributions, is recognised and celebrated in this way?

Update from Roger Keys
Friend of Ian & Bucks County Representative for Marlow Rugby Club