Mason Peddle: Charity walk organised to remember ‘charismatic’ and ‘lovely boy’ and fundraise for funeral
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Friends and loved ones of ‘charismatic’ and ‘friendly’ Mason Peddle have organised a charity walk in his memory.
The 28-year-old footballer reportedly passed away on April 10, leaving his club AFC Portchester and his family shocked and saddened. Communities across the Portsmouth area have rallied around the family – offering their condolences and organising fundraisers to pay for his funeral.
Over £3,000 was raised during a charity football match organised by the mental health non-profit organisation United Minds FC. Mason was the under-23s captain of the Wessex Football League side.
Elle Field has organised a walk from the Coffee Cup in Eastney to The Still and West pub in Old Portsmouth, where a toast will be made to his memory at the end. She told The News: ‘Mason was such a big friend to everyone, so I think there will be quite a lot of us there.
‘We’ll make our way down to the Still and West, where people can gather round and have a drink for him. It’s be one way of getting out and it’ll be good for everyone’s mind.’ Elle said her family was really close to Mason, with some being so overcome with grief that they had to take a week off work and ‘couldn’t string a sentence together’.
‘It’s very close to my family,’ she added, ‘it was an awful shock.’ The walk will take place at 11am this Sunday.
A £5 voluntary donation will be asked for on the day, with the money being split between Mason’s funeral fund and the mental health charity Mind. Elle described Mason as a ‘social butterfly’ and said they’ve received a very good response to the walk already – with some travelling down from as far as London to take part.
‘I’d describe Mason as everyone’s friend,’ she added. ‘He was a really big smiley boy, a great personality, charismatic.
‘He’d make you laugh the minute you met him. He was a very charismatic, friendly, lovely boy. As much as the walk is a gesture of friendship to Mason, it also has a wider aspect of mental health awareness.’