THE childhood friends of a talented young footballer who died unexpectedly have made a poignant donation to his memorial fund.

Keiran Joyce was a footballer for Hereford FC’s youth team and a pupil at Weobley High School when he died aged just 15 from an undiagnosed heart condition.

But pupils from Lady Hawkins’ School in Kington, many of who were friends with Keiran at primary school, have donated funds for their prom in his memory.

Keiran’s family, from Hereford, have said a profound thank you to the year 11 pupils for their donation to heart charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), after the sudden death Kieran in September.

Since his tragic death, Kieran’s parents Andrea and Gareth have set up the Kieran Joyce Memorial Fund with CRY, and they have been extremely moved by the recent donation from Kieran’s fellow students.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Year 11 students were unable to hold their leavers’ Prom this summer, as planned.

Instead of saving the money to reschedule the prom for a later date or using it for other causes within the school, the year group decided to donate the £811 raised to CRY, bringing the total amount raised to more than £10,000.

This money will go towards funding vital heart screenings for young people across the UK.

Kieran’s sister Frankie said: “We would like to sincerely thank the year 11 pupils for their outstanding gesture of kindness.

“It is so moving to see our community coming together in memory of Kieran to support the charity, even during the uncertainty of Covid-19.

“I know how important the prom is for Year 11s and they went to such efforts to raise the money for it – putting on cake sales, bag packing at a local supermarket and holding a disco for the Year 7s to name a few.

“So, to instead give it away to a charitable cause in memory of their friend was extremely compassionate and my family and I will not forget their thoughtfulness. We would like to thank everyone in the community for their ongoing help and support.”