Latest news with #RedForRuthDay
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Why was Lord's, the home of cricket, decked in red as England took on India?
The iconic Lord's cricket ground turned red on Friday to help families dealing with the heartbreak of terminal illness. There was red clothing, red balloons and even red smoke as the second day of the third Test match between England and India became Red For Ruth Day, in aid of the Ruth Strauss Foundation. Advertisement The aim is to help children facing the trauma of losing a parent. Let The Athletic explain more. An Australian-born actress, businesswoman and mother of two, Ruth McDonald became Ruth Strauss in 2003 when she married Andrew Strauss, an English cricketer whom she had met five years earlier in Sydney, where he was playing club cricket. Andrew made his debut for England later that year and would go on to captain his country in 50 of his 100 Test matches, as well as leading the English one-day international team. After settling in Britain, Ruth moved away from acting to support her husband's career and care for their children. She was diagnosed in early 2018 with an incurable lung cancer that affects non-smokers, and died in Australia on December 29 that year, aged 46. She was survived by Andrew and their two sons, Luca and Samuel, then aged 10 and 13. Sir Andrew, who was knighted in 2019, launched the foundation three months after his wife's death. It was inspired by Ruth's desire to help others prepare their children better for the grief of losing a parent and to raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of lung cancers suffered by non-smokers. On the foundation's website, Sir Andrew writes: 'For those who are diagnosed too late, or are unable to find a successful treatment, they have the hugely painful and unenviable task of preparing themselves and those around them for the inevitability of their death. 'As Ruth bravely considered this towards the end of her life, her thoughts were almost exclusively centred on what her death would mean to the boys and myself, as well as what 'good' could come out of this dreadful situation. 'The idea of the foundation was hers. Aside from driving research into non-smoking lung cancers, she was determined to ensure that others going through what our family had encountered should have a support network available to help them navigate their way through their illness and help prepare the whole family for the death of a parent. 'She wanted people to 'do death well'.' It takes a two-pronged approach. Primarily, the foundation aims to help families prepare as well as possible for the death of a parent who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. It also tries to raise awareness of the need for pre-bereavement support as well as providing training for nurses to help them support families to prepare children for the loss of a parent. In addition, the foundation has now launched a programme to help train teachers to support affected children in schools and is developing a telephone helpline and online services to support families directly. Advertisement The second focus is on improving research into lung cancers that affect non-smokers by campaigning for more investment and trying to coordinate research. The foundation has already raised more than £4million ($5.4m) and, according to announcements at Lord's this morning, helped more than 5,000 families. Each year, one day of a Test match at Lord's is designated as Red for Ruth Day — the foundation's biggest day annually for fundraising and increasing awareness of its work. Players, officials and spectators are encouraged to wear red clothing, sponsors often agree to redesign their company's branding in red for the day, and the two teams take to the field wearing red caps, which in the past have later been auctioned online to raise money for the foundation. Sir Andrew set the tone today with a bright red suit and tie, while the names and numbers on the white shirts of England's players were switched to red from their normal blue. Lord's, just north of central London, was chosen as the Red for Ruth Day venue as it is not only the historic home of English cricket, but also the home ground of Middlesex, Sir Andrew's county side during his playing career. No. Fundraising days were pioneered by the legendary Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath, whose wife Jane died from breast cancer in 2008, 11 years after she was first diagnosed. The couple founded the McGrath Foundation together in 2002 and 'Pink Day' has been held at the first Test match played in Sydney every year since 2007 to raise funds and awareness. Sir Andrew took advice from McGrath, his former on-field adversary, when setting up the Ruth Strauss Foundation. In recent years, the Edgbaston ground in Birmingham has designated one day each year 'Blue For Bob Day' in aid of the Bob Willis Fund, set up to raise awareness and funds for research into prostate cancer in memory of the late former England bowler, whose long-time county side Warwickshire call that venue home. Click here to read more cricket stories on The Athletic.
India Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
ENG vs IND: Lord's turns red on Day 2 to support Strauss Foundation and raise funds
Day Two of the third Test between England and India at Lord's was about more than just cricket - the iconic ground turned red in a heartfelt tribute to the Ruth Strauss Foundation during the annual #RedForRuth day, a deeply meaningful initiative that has become a beloved tradition in the English summer cricket in its seventh year, the campaign sees players, staff, broadcasters, and thousands of spectators don red in solidarity with the Foundation's mission. Established in memory of Ruth Strauss, the late wife of former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss, the initiative supports families grappling with the terminal illness of a parent, transforming grief into powerful community support. It's #RedForRuth Day at the @HomeOfCricket! Please donate if you can to this amazing cause: | #EnglandCricket England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 11, 2025advertisementThe Lord's ground was awash in red, with both England and India players standing together in a formation shaped like a heart. At the center, Andrew Strauss, officials, and children gathered as the kids rang the ceremonial bell to officially start Day 2. The crowd erupted in applause, united in a moment of respect and remembrance. Reflecting on the day, Andrew Strauss shared, "The first year was obviously a deeply emotional time for me and my boys. It's a very proud time for me to see how far the foundation has come, and it makes me feel very warm and fuzzy inside to know that we are helping so many people and, in some way, holding their hands through an incredibly tough time in their lives. Cricket is my home, and hopefully will always be my home."IND vs ENG, 3rd Test, Day 2: Live UpdatesHe added, "The two things coming together [cricket and the cause] create a great day, but that is very much the focal point and the centrepiece. What makes me even more proud is hearing stories of schools and clubs doing their own versions of Red For Ruth. They don't know me or Ruth personally, but they feel connected to the cause."Spectators attending Day Two were encouraged to wear red and arrive early for a special opening ceremony before the first ball. Volunteers sold #RedForRuth bucket hats and handed out Ruth Roses in exchange for donations, helping raise awareness and crucial funds for the Ruth Strauss Foundation was set up in memory of Ruth, who passed away in December 2018 at age 46 from a rare form of lung cancer that affects non-smokers. The Foundation's work includes funding research into rare lung cancers and providing emotional and practical support to families facing the loss of a parent. Since the first Red for Ruth Day in 2019, the campaign has raised over 4 million, supporting more than 3,500 families and training over 1,000 cancer care stadium itself was transformed with red-themed displays, making the tribute a striking sight and a reminder of the Foundation's ongoing mission. The Foundation was created to fund research into rare lung cancers and provide support to families facing the loss of a parent. Since its inception, the #RedForRuth campaign has become a cornerstone of the cricket calendar, uniting the community in remembrance and support.- Ends
