Billy Davies is a charismatic 17 year old, he is a great footballer, hugely popular, great fun to be around, and he is well known and loved by many people in Ipswich and beyond. Late in 2022 Billy was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that would have shaken even the strongest of us. Billy has challenged this disease head-on and thrown himself into the fight against it. He has come through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, endured 2 major surgical interventions, amazed everyone with his ability to deal with radiotherapy, and is currently entering another cycle of treatment with his mind focused on keeping this terrible disease under control.

Like many parents, I can't imagine the journey that Billy and his family are on, but what I can say for sure is that I would feel the odds were firmly stacked in my favour if my family, friends, and friends of friends were standing shoulder to shoulder with me any time I needed some moral support, and that is precisely what Billy has in me, in all of us at his football club (especially George who appears in the photo with Billy and I), and the hundreds of people willing him on from the side lines. He probably has more offers of help than he knows what to do with, so I wanted to take a slightly different approach to providing support. We have to leave the medical fight to Billy and his team of experts, but where we can all help is by recognising the added strain this places on Billy's family as they drop everything to be by his side. The countless hours spent commuting to hospitals for treatment, trying to maintain some form of normality for Billy's brother Tommy, and of course trying to keep the household bills under control at a time where working routines can't be normal have a massive impact.

On October 14th, I am going to be joined by a small number of friends in a challenge to help raise funds to support Billy's family. We are going to try to walk 100km from Southwold in Suffolk to Ipswich. I am hoping that Billy's football team mates will be joining us on part of this journey so that we can show Billy and his family the unwavering love and support they have from this community.

Any help you can give in the form of a donation will be appreciated beyond belief.