A RUGBY club is hoping to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds in memory of a beloved coach.

More than £3,000 has been raised in just over two weeks for Bracknell Rugby Football Club to pay for a new 4G artificial pitch, which will be named in the memory of Guy Elliott.

Mr Elliott, 59, was a popular figure in Bracknell and coached at the rugby club for a number of years. Sadly, he passed away on March 6, having suffered from cancer.

Lisa Elliott, Guy’s wife, started the page on JustGiving to raise £800,000 for the new pitch, and explained that doing so would honour Guy’s memory.

She wrote: “We are fundraising for Bracknell Rugby FC to honour the memory of Guy Elliott who sadly passed away on 6th March after a battle with cancer.

“Guy coached for 14 years and rugby was his passion. Bracknell Rugby Club was a major part of his life. 

“The camaraderie, the tours, the coaches, the people, the families and of course coaching the boys were just integral to his everyday life.

“BRFC are in need of a 4th generation (4G) artificial grass pitch. This is expensive. However [Guy] would be proud to know that in is memory his family and friends would be able to begin the fundraising for something so important to him. Guy would much prefer to support the club, rather than receive donations of flowers.

“In Guy’s memory we hope to raise a significant amount of money towards the pitch and have regular events in Guy’s name to further support this great cause.”

Mrs Elliott told the News: “Unfortunately a larger-than-life character has left a large hole in my life. More than 300 people came to the wake, and he was very well respected within the industry.”

Visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lisa-elliott-5