Charity match to remember popular Petworth man


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Nick Hedger was only 19 when he died in a car crash on the Halfway Bridge in 1996.
Since then those who knew and loved him have been coming together to mark his life and on Saturday his annual football match will take place on Petworth Park.
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Hide AdHis mum Christine said: “This year will be extra special because it is being held on Saturday, September 5, Nick’s birthday.
“This year he would have been 40 years old and we always hold a charity match in his memory.
“I lost my dad last year and my mum two years ago, so one team will be called MND (for Motor Neurone Disease) and the other Macmillan (the cancer charity).”
Nick’s brothers Jonathan and Liam will lead the teams, made up of family members and friends, against each other in the match, which kicks off at 2pm.
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Hide AdNick was very well known in the area as a keen sportsman who played football for Petworth and cricket for Graffham.
He supported Liverpool FC and worked in what was then a shop called Gateway.
“Next year will be 20 years since I lost my son in a tragic car accident,” Christine said.
“It happened on Halfway Bridge between Petworth and Midhurst, and to this day we don’t actually know what happened.
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Hide Ad“After it happened, our local hairdresser organised a charity match and since then it’s carried on.”
Anyone is invited along to the event, which will feature a barbecue, stalls, bouncy castle and raffle and afterwards a disco.
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