Bicester charity game raises thousands in honour of fire victims

BBC News

20-07-2025

A football match honouring two firefighters and a member of the public killed during a fire at a business park has raised thousands of pounds for charity.Ardley United took on a team of Oxford United legends on Sunday to raise money for the Firefighters Charity, in memory of those who died during the fire at Bicester Motion on 15 May.The blaze claimed the lives of firefighters Jennie Logan, 30, and Martyn Sadler, 38, and father-of-two Dave Chester, 57.Ardley United chairman Ian Feaver said the match was about "bringing the community together in honour of those three people".
He said the "awful" incident had "really knocked the community sideways"."We just thought that as the most senior football club in the area, we need to do something and give people something positive to look forward to whilst raising some money for charity," he said.Mr Feaver added that he had received a message of thanks for organising the match from Ms Logan's family."It just really brought it home to me and stopped me in my tracks," he said.
Following a minute's silence and a minute's applause, the match kicked off at 13:00 BST.Oxfordshire's chief firefighter Rob MacDougall, who emotionally announced the trio's deaths in a statement to media the day after the blaze, was at the game.He said: "It has been really difficult but it's been amazing to see how people have come together to support everyone."It just shows the community coming together, it shows what they meant to everyone and what a strong community we are."Days like today are really special."
Several Oxford United legends, including three players who secured the club's return to the Football League at Wembley in 2010, featured in the game.Ahead of the match, James Constable, who scored the second goal in the win over York City 15 years ago, said he was "slightly more nervous than during my playing days".He said: "Its obviously for a great cause, so you never mind doing it for that and to just be around some of the players you used to play with is special anyway."For us as ex-players, anything that we can do to help support the families that have lost loved ones is special and for us to do something as simple as pull on a pair of boots and run around for 90 minutes is good."
The match ended in a 2-1 win for the Oxford legends, with Alfie Potter and Chris Hackett netting for the U's, while Dan Bone scored Ardley's solitary goal.Following the game, the club estimated the event had raised about £8,000 for the Firefighters Charity.
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