Kenilworth Women's Rugby Club are hosting a charity match this Saturday (August 21) in memory of a former player who died of cancer earlier this year.

Jess Pardo passed away on January 23 2021, at the age of 18, shortly after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Saturday's match will be both a tribute to her memory and a chance for club members to raise money for local charity 'Shine a Light Support Services' which helped Jess and her family in her final months.

Jess joined the women's setup at Kenilworth in February 2020, as she looked to make the step up into senior rugby.

A former youth player at Barker Butts RFC and Worcester Warriors Women, Jess never actually got to play a senior game at Kenilworth, due to restrictions around her age as well as the pandemic.

However, whilst she never got to play competitively for Kenilworth, she clearly made an impact on her teammates, both as a person and as a player.

Women's team manager Alex Clay said: "She slotted in really easily at the club.

"She was really skilled; I think she took a lot of people by surprise at how well she could play. She had this spin pass that went 15 metres at the same speed and you wouldn't have expected that of a young girl.

"Most people were astounded at the level that she could play at."

Saturday's game will see the women's team at Kenilworth host Crewe and Nantwich RFC in a 12pm kick off at their Glasshouse Lane home ground.

The men's team will then hold a training session afterwards, with a BBQ, refreshments and the bar available throughout the day.

Whilst there will be no ticket fee, spectators are encouraged to give generously to the charity.

Coventry-based, Shine a Light supports young people and families in Coventry and Warwickshire who have been affected by cancer.

Its services include home visits, counselling sessions, social events, holistic therapies and much more.

Jess' mother, Sarah, now volunteers with the charity. She will be joined by other volunteers and her husband, Carlos, at the game on Saturday.

Spectators are also asked to arrive in time for a minute of cheering, clapping and noise before kick off as fans remember Jess.

Alex said the club had elected for a minute of clapping rather than silence "because she was loud, she was a happy girl. A minutes' silence was too morbid and she wouldn't have wanted that."

The minute of applause is also a reminder of the day of Jess' funeral when club members were encouraged to clap the hearse as it drove through the streets.

As a further sign of respect players will also be wearing blue armbands, both in memory of Jess but also as a nod to her support of Birmingham City FC.

The club has been planning to host an event since Jess' death in January but wanted to wait until the RFU allowed full contact rugby again.

A final date for this weekend was agreed in June.

Despite the six-month delay, Alex said that family and friends alike are glad that they waited for the right opportunity, and are pleased to have been given an opportunity to remember her.

"People are looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate her life," she said.

"I think people are looking forward to the opportunity to remember her and to raise money for a service that helped her so much."

For more information on the event, please follow this link to the event's Facebook page.

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