In memory of Roudhan Beckwith

On Sunday the 28th April, the Halifax College Football Association organised a Tournament on Campus East in Roudhan’s memory and raised an incredible £820.

Zach, the Halifax Men's Football Captain shared his account of the day:

"Roudhan’s 6-a-side tournament was a brilliant day out. Despite the Yorkshire weather’s best efforts to make the day difficult, almost 100 people turned up to play and a good crowd showed up to support too. There was some great (and not so great – HCFC’s president started sulking as his team were knocked out early both winless and goalless) football on show from the off, with pre-tournament favourites The Halifax Choir coasting through the group stages and the girls’ team proving themselves a formidable opponent (even if they sometimes had 12 on the pitch at once!). Though it didn’t all go quite to the script for the Choir Boys, the trophy did ultimately go home with a Halifax team who saw off a serious challenge from Hepworth United, a team made up of Roudhan’s friends from home, making sure the trophy stayed in York.

The way that this tournament brought together so many people and the way it was all contested comes as no surprise: it’s a testament to Roudhan’s character. We’re immensely grateful for the opportunity it gave so many of us to meet Roudhan’s family (even if his brother Dylan ran rings around a few of us) and friends from home and give them a taste of the college sport community he was a part of in York.

There’s nothing more that needs to be said, other than thank you. Thank you to Oli Grey and the rest of the lads in the Choir who put so much work into organising the day, thank you to the amazing Steve and Jo who, alongside the rest of the Holmfirth contingent, were kind enough to put together a well-needed spread at the end of the tournament, thank you to Halifax college for funding the trophies and of course thank you to everyone who took part, supported and/or donated."

Update Roudhan’s Festival of Football

On Saturday 26th August, we held Roudhan’s Festival of Football at Hepworth United Football Club. In a celebration of Roudhan’s life, we brought together the things he loved most: football, music, university, great food, and the friends, family and community he cherished.

Thank you to the sponsors on the day, as we have reached (and exceeded!) our goal of £10,000. This will make an incredible difference to the Generation Research programme, in supporting students to pursue their dreams in education, and honours Roudhan’s memory and his passion for education and the opportunities it brings.

The day included a match between Hepworth United and Roudhan’s University of York friends. Roudhan’s brother, Dylan, played 15 minutes of each half, and for both teams, first wearing Roudhan’s Hepworth shirt, and then his University shirt. He scored a brilliant goal in the first half, wearing Roudhan’s number 8 football shirt.

Thank you so much for the kind donations already made. Due to the generosity shown, we have decided to set an aspirational target £7,500 which would guarantee funding for a full GenerationResearch scholarship in Roudhan's memory. To support this, we have decided to keep this page open for donations until next spring.