Friends crowdfunding in memory of ex-JFS pupil ‘with heart of gold’

Friends of a former JFS pupil “with a heart of gold” who died at the age of 33 last month are to run 10km to raise money for a hundred people to be screened for cardiac conditions in his memory.

Nick Stanley, from Chigwell, died last month after playing football at Kantor King Solomon School in Ilford. Tributes were paid to the former business development manager, including JFS headteacher Rachel Fink, who said the school was “deeply saddened by the news of Nick’s tragic passing.”

Elliot Taylor, 29, his wife Danielle, 27, Joshua Gladstein, 29, his wife Sophie, 28, and Jeremy Shaw, 33, his wife Lisa, 30, hope to raise over £5,000 for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young to host free cardiac screenings for a hundred people aged between 14 and 35.

To this end, the group will face the Shoreditch 10K Adidas City Run in the streets of East London this July and the Lee Valley VeloPark race at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford in August. The group also plan to host other fundraising activities to contribute and exceed this total to continue to raise money for this cause in Nick’s memory.

Their crowdfunding campaign launched last week has so far raised over £2,700, with nearly a hundred donations ranging from £10 to £250. You can find it by searching “Running for Nick” on www.justgiving.com.

Gladstein, who was with Stanley just before he passed away, said: “Nick was playing football that night which was something he loved. It was a complete shock”.

“A young life of 33 was taken too early, and if we can scan a hundred people and even just one of those people gets identified as having a heart issue, you’ve effectively saved another life,” he added.

“He was a devoted and wonderful husband,” he said. Nick Stanley and his wife Jemma were members of a WhatsApp group with the runners and they would take turns hosting each other for dinner as part of what they affectionately termed the “Friday Night Dinner club”.

“We’ve gone through so much in that group,” Gladstein said. “Everyone got married. We went through engagements, marriages, new homes and two of the couples had babies.”

“Nick was an amazing guy, with fantastic personality, a heart of gold, and very unique. His memory will definitely live on, and that’s why it’s important we do this for others.”