Tribute to Honor Edawrds

When I first wrote this article, I spoke about my experience being on an incredibly successful team and the support network University of Nottingham (UoN) Ladies Lacrosse club has given me. However, the recent passing of one of our members and friends Honor Edwards has changed slightly what I want to say.

As soon as you pick up a lacrosse stick, you are taught that teamwork will always champion over individuality. That working together will create better opportunities and goals. I attribute much of our successes to our depth of talent and our ability to trust each other. We play as a unit and it is this that makes us a winning team.

Naturally, this translates off of the field too. Our club is more than just six teams playing every Wednesday and celebrating afterwards in Crisis. It’s friendly faces to see and chat to around campus and older girls looking out for the freshers. It’s always been a support network - a home away from home. But recently that has become more important than ever.

Honor was our Charity Secretary, which embodies everything she stood for. She was a caring, generous, and funny person with a strong set of morals. She stood up for what she believed was right. Honor was an advocate for mental health awareness and open about her own struggles. In October, Honor and one of the other girls from the club ran a marathon. They raised well over their target of £4000 and £500 in gift aid for Mind in memory of Honor’s late friend, Olly Chessher.

The tragic news of Honor’s passing shook our club. It proved what I already knew about this home away from home. We came together and supported each other in our collective grief. Whether it was girls who had known her for a matter of months, for just over a year, or longer, it’s clear just how much of an impact Honor has had on all of us.

Support for each other extended beyond the current club members too. Alumni reached out upon hearing the news and the men’s club, who we’ve built a great bond with, were equally supportive. The same goes with friends from other university and club teams. home’ as ‘a place where you feel as comfortable as you do in your own home’. But I would go further than that. UoN Ladies Lacrosse has given us more than comfort. It’s been a consistent support network, with teams celebrating successes throughout the entirety of the club and teammates backing each other on and off the pitch.

It was a true privilege knowing Honor and being able to call her a friend. I’m sure I speak on behalf of the whole club when I say how much I’ll truly miss Honor.