Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset
Director⭐⭐
This post has ben placed in Chit Chat with the kind permission of the MODS. It is a terrible situation involving 'one of our own', and despite everything else going on with the club at the moment we hope it is one all Shrimpers can unite behind and support in some way. We only became aware of the situation via 'third hand news' last Summer and it then took us some time to track down family members so we could see if we could help. We can.
With his mother we have visited James and have agreed a campaign which it is hoped will do some real positive good in funding the additional help James so badly needs. It will also provide a huge metal boost to James and his family in showing that the Shrimper family cares.
Lots will be announced in the coming weeks regarding players signed up and additional events to support the campaign.
The Shrimpers Trust website article, complete with the links to buy tickets and make donations, is below.
On behalf of James and his family, thank-you.
With his mother we have visited James and have agreed a campaign which it is hoped will do some real positive good in funding the additional help James so badly needs. It will also provide a huge metal boost to James and his family in showing that the Shrimper family cares.
Lots will be announced in the coming weeks regarding players signed up and additional events to support the campaign.
The Shrimpers Trust website article, complete with the links to buy tickets and make donations, is below.
On behalf of James and his family, thank-you.
1. Introduction
In February 2019 former Shrimper James Walker experienced a life-changing event due to a cardiac arrest - he will never play football again, and now has severe health issues. He is only aged 35.
James is a member of the Southend United Ex Players Association (SUEPA) which is part of the Shrimpers Trust. We care about all players that once wore our club's shirt with pride. And we care about what happened to James and want to do something to help. A benefit match has been arranged for Sunday 28 May 2023 - please read on for details.
2. What happened
It was known that James had a heart condition - this was picked up in his medical when joining Southend United in 2008. However, it was manageable and did not prevent him from playing.
James played football right up to the time of his cardiac arrest, by that point he was playing semi-professionally and had undertaken a role in a as a PE teacher. We last saw him at Roots Hall in November 2018 when, together with Lee Barnard, he was one of SUEPA's match day guests.
James was excelling in his new PE teacher role at the Ramsden Hall Academy in Billericay and was buzzing with news of it during his SUEPA visit. At that time he had recently received an award for his work from the Jack Petchey Foundation: https://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk/our-stories/ex-southend-united-player-wins-leader-award/
Then one day in February 2019 James was demonstrating a somersault to his class when he suffered a massive cardiac arrest which, for a period, stopped all blood flow to his brain. James was in a coma for 15 days and it was touch and go as to whether he would survive, but when he came round he it was evident that what had happened had left him with both physical and mental impairments. James has three young daughters.
Though James can now walk and move about freely he cannot look after himself, and lives in a 24-hour care home in Southend. All food and drink is taken via a stent in his stomach. James's mum Dawn helps him with some rehabilitation, and he receives limited therapy session help from the authorities, but Dawn wants him to receive more regular such help to encourage James to move forward. Additional therapy sessions cost, and our appeal aims to raise funds to help with that cost.
3. James's playing career
James is an East End lad, being born in Hackney in 1987, and joined his local team Charlton as an apprentice in 2004. It was on a loan spell to Hartlepool in 2006 that he made his Football League debut, and he scored his first goal as a professional for Bristol Rovers in a further loan spell later that year.
Striker James was loaned out to Leyton Orient, Notts County and Yeovil before finding his way to Roots Hall in 2008 where he scored on his debut v Bournemouth. He was quickly snapped up by Southend United on a permanent deal, and overall made 45 league appearances in our shirt, many of them as a winger, scoring six times. This was a period of relative success for us of course, reaching the League One play-offs in the 2007/08 season and just missing out by one place the season after.
Thereafter James had spells at several clubs, including Hereford, Gillingham, Orient (again), Woking, Dover, Eastbourne Borough, Bishops Stortford, East Thurrock, Canvey, Maldon & Tiptree, and Tilbury. He even had a brief period playing for Albany Creek Excelsior in Australia, was capped as a youth for England at U18 level, and in 2012 played for Antigua & Bermuda in a World Cup qualifier.
4. What we are doing
To help raise funds to allow Dawn to fund additional rehabilitation support for James we are holding a benefit match on Sunday 28 May 2023 at 3.00 pm at Bowers & Pitsea's Len Salmon Stadium, Crown Avenue, Pitsea, Essex SS13 2BE. It is a great venue which has had a number of improvements in recent times and has a 3G pitch.
The match will be between a team including various former Southend United players against a charity team known as Farke Knight Rises CFC. At the time of writing we (16 February 2023) we are in the process of contacting players and already have Steve Tilson, Adam Barrett and Lee Barnard helping us with this. Full details of the players taking part will be announced on SUEPA social media in the coming weeks.
James's family intend to bring him to the match and be by his side to kick the game off. It is sure to be an emotional moment.
A support event arranged by James's former teammate Damian Scannell will also be arranged, plus we hope to acquire some sporting memorabilia to auction to raise further monies. Again, news will be publicised on SUEPA social media - SUEPA can be found on Facebook here and on Twitter here.
5. How you can help
We hope that Shrimper fans, and indeed the wider football community, will want to help. You can do so in one of two ways:
a) You can purchase tickets for the match, available at just £5 for adults or £2 for under 16's. Tickets can be purchased here: HERE (a fee for postage will be charged for online purchases).
Alternatively, tickets can be purchased from the Shrimpers Trust stall in the Shrimpers Bar at Roots Hall before kick-off on first team match days.
At the time of writing (16 February 2023) tickets are in the process of being printed and will be made available as soon as possible. For all online purchases the tickets you can still purchase tickets now and these will be posted to you as soon as a supply is ready.
b) You can make a separate donation online HERE
Sponsors are in the process of being sought for the match - if you know of anyone that might be interested in becoming a sponsor then please do get in touch. Staging any match like this comes with a number of costs including match balls, kit, medical facilities, stewarding, insurance and much more. It is our hope that we will be able to cover all costs from sponsorship so that 100% of all match ticket sales and donations will be made available to James's family to help buy him the additional therapy sessions/support he so badly needs.
The Shrimpers Trust have donated £500 to the campaign.
6. Contact
We do hope you can take part and help us to help James. We will gladly answer any questions or listen to any ideas you might have. The primary organisers of the event and their contact details are as follows:
Andy Leeder, email suepassoc@gmail.com
Kay Fogg, email juniors@shrimperstrust.co.uk
In February 2019 former Shrimper James Walker experienced a life-changing event due to a cardiac arrest - he will never play football again, and now has severe health issues. He is only aged 35.
James is a member of the Southend United Ex Players Association (SUEPA) which is part of the Shrimpers Trust. We care about all players that once wore our club's shirt with pride. And we care about what happened to James and want to do something to help. A benefit match has been arranged for Sunday 28 May 2023 - please read on for details.
2. What happened
It was known that James had a heart condition - this was picked up in his medical when joining Southend United in 2008. However, it was manageable and did not prevent him from playing.
James was excelling in his new PE teacher role at the Ramsden Hall Academy in Billericay and was buzzing with news of it during his SUEPA visit. At that time he had recently received an award for his work from the Jack Petchey Foundation: https://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk/our-stories/ex-southend-united-player-wins-leader-award/
Then one day in February 2019 James was demonstrating a somersault to his class when he suffered a massive cardiac arrest which, for a period, stopped all blood flow to his brain. James was in a coma for 15 days and it was touch and go as to whether he would survive, but when he came round he it was evident that what had happened had left him with both physical and mental impairments. James has three young daughters.
Though James can now walk and move about freely he cannot look after himself, and lives in a 24-hour care home in Southend. All food and drink is taken via a stent in his stomach. James's mum Dawn helps him with some rehabilitation, and he receives limited therapy session help from the authorities, but Dawn wants him to receive more regular such help to encourage James to move forward. Additional therapy sessions cost, and our appeal aims to raise funds to help with that cost.
3. James's playing career
James is an East End lad, being born in Hackney in 1987, and joined his local team Charlton as an apprentice in 2004. It was on a loan spell to Hartlepool in 2006 that he made his Football League debut, and he scored his first goal as a professional for Bristol Rovers in a further loan spell later that year.
Striker James was loaned out to Leyton Orient, Notts County and Yeovil before finding his way to Roots Hall in 2008 where he scored on his debut v Bournemouth. He was quickly snapped up by Southend United on a permanent deal, and overall made 45 league appearances in our shirt, many of them as a winger, scoring six times. This was a period of relative success for us of course, reaching the League One play-offs in the 2007/08 season and just missing out by one place the season after.
Thereafter James had spells at several clubs, including Hereford, Gillingham, Orient (again), Woking, Dover, Eastbourne Borough, Bishops Stortford, East Thurrock, Canvey, Maldon & Tiptree, and Tilbury. He even had a brief period playing for Albany Creek Excelsior in Australia, was capped as a youth for England at U18 level, and in 2012 played for Antigua & Bermuda in a World Cup qualifier.
4. What we are doing
The match will be between a team including various former Southend United players against a charity team known as Farke Knight Rises CFC. At the time of writing we (16 February 2023) we are in the process of contacting players and already have Steve Tilson, Adam Barrett and Lee Barnard helping us with this. Full details of the players taking part will be announced on SUEPA social media in the coming weeks.
James's family intend to bring him to the match and be by his side to kick the game off. It is sure to be an emotional moment.
A support event arranged by James's former teammate Damian Scannell will also be arranged, plus we hope to acquire some sporting memorabilia to auction to raise further monies. Again, news will be publicised on SUEPA social media - SUEPA can be found on Facebook here and on Twitter here.
5. How you can help
We hope that Shrimper fans, and indeed the wider football community, will want to help. You can do so in one of two ways:
a) You can purchase tickets for the match, available at just £5 for adults or £2 for under 16's. Tickets can be purchased here: HERE (a fee for postage will be charged for online purchases).
Alternatively, tickets can be purchased from the Shrimpers Trust stall in the Shrimpers Bar at Roots Hall before kick-off on first team match days.
At the time of writing (16 February 2023) tickets are in the process of being printed and will be made available as soon as possible. For all online purchases the tickets you can still purchase tickets now and these will be posted to you as soon as a supply is ready.
b) You can make a separate donation online HERE
Sponsors are in the process of being sought for the match - if you know of anyone that might be interested in becoming a sponsor then please do get in touch. Staging any match like this comes with a number of costs including match balls, kit, medical facilities, stewarding, insurance and much more. It is our hope that we will be able to cover all costs from sponsorship so that 100% of all match ticket sales and donations will be made available to James's family to help buy him the additional therapy sessions/support he so badly needs.
The Shrimpers Trust have donated £500 to the campaign.
6. Contact
We do hope you can take part and help us to help James. We will gladly answer any questions or listen to any ideas you might have. The primary organisers of the event and their contact details are as follows:
Andy Leeder, email suepassoc@gmail.com
Kay Fogg, email juniors@shrimperstrust.co.uk
