Two young footballers win the Tom Whiteley Community Award

TWO young footballers have won the Tom Whiteley Community Award, an award set up in memory of Tom’s Trust’s Tom Whiteley.

Lee Walker and Mylo Sims, both 15, from the local Melbourn Dynamos Football Club, won the award during the team’s award presentation day last month at the Melbourn Recreation Ground, Cambridgeshire.

The award was set up in memory of Tom Whiteley, who used to play for the team before he sadly died of a brain tumour at the age of just nine in 2010. The club has been supporting Tom’s Trust, the charity set up in his name, ever since.

The winners are picked for their generosity and dedication to the Club.

Blake Carrington, Chairman of the Melbourn Dynamos Football Club, said:

“Mylo and Lee are amazing, selfless young who both support other teams within the Club by dedicating their free time to helping coach the players, performing the duties of match officials and making sure all the match day equipment is set up and safe. One of the senior coaches described their dedication by saying that the teams would not have been as good or rewarding without them.

“Lee plays for Melbourn Dynamos U15 team and lives next door to the coach of the Dynamos’ U13 Girls team. All season Lee has selflessly given up his Saturday mornings to help set up the goals and so on and has then refereed all of the team’s home games. Such is Lee’s dedication to the team he has also travelled to the majority of the away games where he has supported the team by being the assistant referee. 

“Lee’s involvement with the team has been a huge benefit to all and without him, some of the games wouldn’t have been able to go ahead (with no other referee being available). Lee is well-liked and respected by all the players and their families and his extremely professional approach is no doubt connected to this.”

Bucket collections on the day raised £200, adding to nearly £5,000 already raised for Tom’s Trust by the team to date.

Andrew Whiteley, Co-Founder of Tom’s Trust and dad of Tom, said:

“We would like to say a huge congratulations to Lee and Mylo, what an amazing achievement for two deserving young players. Tom loved playing for the Melbourn Dynamos, and we can’t thank them enough for all their support over the years.” 

To find out more about Tom’s Trust, please visit: www.tomstrust.org.uk.