On the 26 June, members of the Lyonian Association, the School and the OLFC came together at Sudbury Fields to compete in a football tournamnet to raise funds and awareness for Brain Tumour Research, in memory of Joshua Beresford-Smart (OL 2020).

Kick off showed us our 4 teams that were competiting - Oooh Friends, All Starz, Vets and Smarties. After 3 competitve rounds, the semi-finals saw Oooh Friends win against Vets, and Smarties win against All Starz. With the final match in play, Oooh Friends fought for the winning title.

In 2017, Joshua was diagnosed with a brain tumour called 'Diffuse Midline Glioma' and sadly passed away in February 2021. Joshua was known for his cheery personality and enthuasim in all aspects of sports and drama - representing John Lyon in both cricket and football. In the 2020 leavers book, there was a question asked: 'Where do you see yourself in 10 years?', to which he wrote: “Raising awareness and funding for Brain Tumour Research”. 

Joshua's brother Matt Beresford-Smart (OL 2017), wrote:
“I would like to start off by thanking John Lyon School, Mr Ling, Bharti and Mr Lynch for all of their support helping me organise such a fantastic event. Brain Tumour Research holds a close place in mine and my families hearts after the passing of Joshua in 2021. Josh was an individual who loved his sport and I wanted to raise awareness by running an event. I wanted the event to represent something Josh loved but would also bring people together. I felt organising a football tournament was the perfect fit. Thank you for all the support and I can’t wait to see everyone back at Sudbury next year for the events third year!”

Since starting their JustGiving page in memory of Joshua, they have raised over £12,000 for Brain Tumour Research - if you're able to, Joshua's family would be grateful for any donations, or if you'd like to take part in next years tournament please contact us at: lyonianassociation@johnlyon.org.