The family and friends of a six-year-old boy from Plymouth whose life was tragically cut short by an incurable brain tumour have honoured his memory by raising thousands of pounds for the unit at Derriford Hospital where he spent his final hours.

Little Jayden Lamerton lost his battle with cancer in May 2023, surrounded by his heartbroken family, at Derriford’s Intensive Care ‘Secret Garden’. Jayden’s dad Jamie said that the private space and the NHS staff provided such an overwhelming support to his son and his family that he wanted to do something to both raise funds for the secret garden and to celebrate Jayden’s life at the same time.

It was fitting then that Jamie organised a five-a-side soccer tournament as a tribute to his football-mad son who supported Liverpool FC and loved everything about the game. The event took place at Harper’s Football Centre in Plymouth last month and was a day of celebration, remembrance and shared goals as teams and their families enjoyed a whole day of matches with a prize raffle thrown in for good measure.

Ahead of the tournament Jamie told Plymouth Hospitals Charity that all he wanted was a day of football in memory of his son and to raise some cash to help the secret garden continue to help patients and their families. He was overwhelmed by how much the day achieved and the final fundraising result.
‘Jayden’s Day’ raised £4,256.25 for Derriford’s Secret Garden, way more than Jamie had hoped for, and he paid tribute to everyone who supported the event with just one word.” unbelievable”.

Kate Tantam, Critical Care Specialist Rehabilitation Sister at the Secret Garden said:
“We were so thrilled that the Secret Garden was able to offer Jayden and his family the support and space when they needed it. It is an incredibly generous gesture of support that they are choosing to donate to us so we can continue to develop and improve the space for patients, loved ones and colleagues from across the hospital.”

Jamie says he hopes the football tournament will now become an annual event in Plymouth’s calendar to celebrate his son’s short life and help the long-term future of the secret garden but with one subtle difference. Jamie said:
“Next year, it’ll be bigger.”