Charity match in memory of Stratford Town's Cody

A CHARITY football match in memory of Stratford Town player, Cody Fisher, will take place this Sunday, 19th February at Knights Lane, Tiddington.

The match will raise money for the Cody 23 Community Fund and raise awareness about knife crime following the tragic death of Cody Fisher, aged 23, after he was stabbed in a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing Day.

At 25, Matt Layton, is a young man from Redditch who plays football and who met Cody, from Studley, on a couple of occasions and it is Matt who has organised Sunday’s charity match as a tribute to Cody and also to help stop knife crime.

“Knife crime is pandemic. I find it scary that some young people think carrying a knife is the norm now,” Matt told the Herald.

“The Cody 23 campaign was set up in memory of Cody Fisher who sadly lost his life on Boxing Day at Crane Nightclub. The campaign aims to fight and put a stop to knife crime after Cody’s tragic loss – God bless him. I knew of him and met him a couple of times and I wave to his mum when I see her in Studley so I’ve organised a charity football match to celebrate Cody as best we can.”

He believes the time has come for government to make changes in the law and he fully supports the Cody 23 Community Fund because it will get young adults off the streets to learn new life skills through coaching or refereeing qualifications and then support the community and schools with their new-found knowledge.

“I understand from national figures, that on average a teenager gets stabbed every nine days which is why we want to raise money and awareness about this dangerous threat to our society and a charity football match is the best way to start,” Matt said.

The match will see Nightingale FC vs LaytonsBarbers FC raising funds for the Cody23 campaign and The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH).

Nightingale FC was originally set up to donate charity money from matches to the NHS and ROH and has so far raised over £10,000 since the football club it started in 2020 – and that was despite the onset of Covid.

Matt usually plays midfield for Nightingale but will be in the dug-out on Sunday coaching LaytonsBarbers – named after his business in Studley. He plans to bring himself onto the pitch towards the end of the game and says he’s really looking forward to the fixture which is 11-a-side and kicks-off at 1pm.

“We hope to gather as many people at the Arden Garages Stadium - where Nightingale plays its home games – and then we want to raise a huge amount of funds where everything goes to Cody 23 and the ROH. We need raffle prizes if people would like to make donations. The bar will be open during and after the game, there’s match day burger and chips on sale and hopefully a great atmosphere for everyone to enjoy,” Matt said.

L £3 entry all proceeds to charity. Buy on the door or online through the following https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nightingale-fc-vs-laytons-barbers-tickets-541777389757

To donate prizes or money donations - contact: 07384 325908 or donate through the crowd fund me link. link https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/cody-23