On Tuesday 11 July, Ashford St Mary’s Primary School in Kent hosted a fitting tribute to former staff member and GB Softball player Emily Clifford, who died in February from cancer.
The ‘Our Emily’ celebration afternoon brought the school community together to celebrate Emily’s life and her passions for teaching and softball. BaseballSoftballUK and the British Softball Federation supported the delivery of softball activities to Year 6 children on the day, many of them playing the game for the firest time.
Emily’s family attended the event, were taken on a tour of the school, and saw the children having fun playing softball on the school field. The family was keen to give thanks to the softball community for the messages of support it has received since Emily’s passing.
Jon Rye, MLB London Series Legacy Manager, said “It was wonderful to be at the start of Ashford St Mary’s softball journey. With softball now included on the school’s PE curriculum as a striking and fielding sport for future Key Stage 2 pupils, Emily leaves a legacy that will continue to have an impact on children and young people. I hope that many more children become involved in our softball community through this legacy.”
Crista Reed-Thomas, baseball and softball coach for BSUK, said, “Ashford St Mary's pupils were very keen to learn more about softball and demonstrated a lot of potential. The children hit the ball hard and ran around the bases like there was no tomorrow! A few pupils even picked up a bit of pitching, and it was great to see them be so enthusiastic at such a young age. It was a fun day, and made even better knowing that it was all in memory of Emily.”