The Ian Williams Foundation

09/09/2025

We are thrilled to announce further details of this season’s Ian Williams Memorial Match:

OURFC vs Richmond FC
Saturday 27th September
Richmond Athletic Ground
KO 2pm

The keen eyed & planners amongst you will note some minor (ok minor *ish*) amendments to some of the finer details …

We have decided this year to return to some core Williams family history and are delighted to have the involvement of , and to be hosting the 4th Ian Williams Memorial Match at .

This September marks 50 years since Ian’s Dad Philip “Tonka” Williams had his first official match for Richmond FC - a debut-date we are confident in courtesy of a write-up in the Richmond & Twickenham Times (not to mention the notable scoring debut from a prop!)
Many of you may recall that Phil continued to play for Richmond his entire playing career - running out for every one of the senior men’s teams, and at every position in the pack! Alongside running out for them himself as an adult, Ian’s earliest exposure to rugby - indeed arguably his formative rugby years - was all here at this very ground, with this club and through the Richmond rugby community. He continued to build on this foundation whilst at , and having these two sides take the field in his memory for us this year seems remarkably fitting.

It is our intention that this match should be a celebration of key things Ian loved - good rugby, good food, good company, and maybe even a good pint… anyone who has ever been to any match at the RAG knows all of these things to be true at fixtures and events hosted here.

So - come one and all to celebrate with us and get this back on the permanent fixture list… we have big plans as we head towards 2028 and revitalising this match is one of our early steps on that road: a journey on which we sincerely hope Ian’s friends, teammates, colleagues, cohort, possibly even rivals, will join us…

Families welcome (some more core rugby memories for future generations pending), alumni welcome, friends, family, frenemies and strangers welcome!!

See you all in a few weeks!

20/02/2025

7 years ago we lost Ian far too soon.
A good friend, occasional grump, and often goofball, he has left a huge hole (physically as well as emotionally) that will likely never be filled.
Whilst we may have been quiet… we are on the move and still have big plans - don’t mistake silence for surrender. We will continue to safeguard the heart of sport and endeavour to make his story the catalyst for protecting others from the same fate.
We love and miss you Ian. Now we build.

20/02/2024

Not quite the 6 he was marking then… and perhaps odd to use such a celebratory photo to mark 6 years now. But despite silence from us, we have in no way given up on making his life - and death - count, and have every intention of achieving this level of joy when we safeguard the hearts all rugby players … or indeed all athletes … dare we say globally!
One day.
It will all take small steps and the same grit, ambition and determination that he had to achieve this win 📸 and be able to celebrate in this way.
6 years down from his loss we continue to keep working and striving to be able to similarly celebrate all the change we will have generated and facilitated.
For now, this smile, his energy and this determination are what we continue to channel to drive us forward.

20/02/2023

It is hard to know what to say in these moments - they roll around each year and whatever we might choose to say feels a little repetitive… But reminding ourselves of who Ian was is the driving force behind affecting the change that we one day hope to achieve.

It’s been 5 years since that fateful day and the pain for those who loved him is still acute - particularly on days like today. But we will continue to strive to create a positive outcome to his story by protecting other athletes and making enough noise to change the cardiac screening landscape in sport. His loss will not be for nothing.

So today we mark 5 years without him by remembering the vibrant, loving, big-hearted, (occasionally grumpy) and loyal friend Ian was.

20/02/2022

Four years on and our objective remains the same: to protect athletes and safeguard the heart of sport.

The strong-willed, mischievous, hard-working, loveable, and occasionally grumpy (!) gap in the world that Ian left remains as large now as the day he died so suddenly 4 years ago. Today we ask all of you who knew him to use this day (and this gap) to remember his zest for life and channel that into whatever you have going on in your world.

Those of you who didn’t know him: use our loss as a reminder to hold your loved ones near - take every opportunity to be present with them and live life to the fullest. It sounds clichéd, but he’s a perfect example that life really is too short not to.

Lastly, with our goal always being to bring positive action out of our negative situation, we implore all of you to get screened and protect not only your own life, but those around you from the pain of losing someone they love.

That is all from us on a day that means so much. But we leave you with another reminder to watch this space… We are pressing forward with plans for the future now that we are all subject to fewer restrictions, and while we might not be able to fill the gap that he left, you might well find us trying on his behalf!


Ian Michael Williams Doncaster Knights Rugby journal The Atlas Foundation OURFC Blues London Welsh Rugby Club Bridgend Ravens Richmond Rugby Pippa Williams

04/12/2020

Today is Ian Michael Williams 30th birthday, or would have been.
Whilst these landmark moments will always be painful for those who knew & loved him, they are also a moment to remember and celebrate the larger-than-life & big-hearted man who was always up for a laugh & flinging himself head first into whatever situation he was involved in.

With that in mind, we would like to invite all of you to participate in & complete your – 30 ‘things’ to celebrate (what would have been) Ian’s 30 years.

The goal:
- Complete your 30 by doing something 30 times or for 30 minutes, or by making 30 things, or consuming 30 items ... (examples & ideas below)
- Donate £3 (or more if you’re feeling generous) to The Ian Williams Foundation – link in bio
- Tag 3 friends to do their

If 50 people complete their donating only the minimum £3 then we will have raised enough for 3 screenings – that is 3 lives that could potentially be saved.
The more people who complete, tag, donate & share the more lives we can protect.

Our hope is that people can remember Ian & celebrate him, raise a little money to protect others, but mostly have some fun – something we all sorely need at the moment!

Some ideas then ...

- Make 30 paper aeroplanes
- Consume 30 mince pies
- Pick your 30 favourite quotes of all time
- Do 30 burpees (or squats or lunges - you get the idea, substitute your favourite exercise!)
- Read 30 articles
- Simultaneously wear 30 items of clothing
- Run for 30 minutes (or 30km if you’re feeling mad)
- Tell 30 jokes
- Colour in 30 pages of a colouring book
- Wish Ian a happy birthday in 30 languages
- Book your team in for screening & protect 30 lives
- Check in on 30 people
- Pick 30 daisies
- Read 30 pages of your favourite book
- Create a playlist of 30 birthday bangers
- Knock back 30 shots
- Prepare (or organise) 30 Operation Christmas child shoeboxes
- Find & collect 30 fallen leaves
- Put on 30 pairs of socks
- Snarf down 30 chicken nuggets
- Survive 30 hill sprints

Helen is kicking us off having baked 30 cupcakes with 30 different toppings! But don’t wait to be tagged – start your own chain of 30s …

We can’t wait to see what crazy Ian-worthy ideas you all come up with for your 30!

We would like to invite all of you to participate in & complete your – 30 ‘things’ to celebrate (what would have been) Ian’s 30 years.

04/12/2020

Today is Ian’s 30th birthday, or would have been.
Whilst these landmark moments will always be painful for those who knew & loved him, they are also a moment to remember and celebrate the larger-than-life & big-hearted man who was always up for a laugh & flinging himself head first into whatever situation he was involved in.

With that in mind, we would like to invite all of you to participate in & complete your – 30 ‘things’ to celebrate (what would have been) Ian’s 30 years.

The goal:
- Complete your 30 by doing something 30 times or for 30 minutes, or by making 30 things, or consuming 30 items ... (examples & ideas below)
- Donate £3 (or more if you’re feeling generous) to The Ian Williams Foundation – link in bio
- Tag 3 friends to do their

If 50 people complete their donating only the minimum £3 then we will have raised enough for 3 screenings – that is 3 lives that could potentially be saved.
The more people who complete, tag, donate & share the more lives we can protect.

Our hope is that people can remember Ian & celebrate him, raise a little money to protect others, but mostly have some fun – something we all sorely need at the moment!

Some ideas then ...

- Make 30 paper aeroplanes
- Consume 30 mince pies
- Pick your 30 favourite quotes of all time
- Do 30 burpees (or squats or lunges - you get the idea, substitute your favourite exercise!)
- Read 30 articles
- Simultaneously wear 30 items of clothing
- Run for 30 minutes (or 30km if you’re feeling mad)
- Tell 30 jokes
- Colour in 30 pages of a colouring book
- Wish Ian a happy birthday in 30 languages
- Book your team in for screening & protect 30 lives
- Check in on 30 people
- Pick 30 daisies
- Read 30 pages of your favourite book
- Create a playlist of 30 birthday bangers
- Knock back 30 shots
- Prepare (or organise) 30 Operation Christmas child shoeboxes
- Find & collect 30 fallen leaves
- Put on 30 pairs of socks
- Snarf down 30 chicken nuggets
- Survive 30 hill sprints
Helen is kicking us off having baked 30 cupcakes with 30 different toppings! But don’t wait to be tagged – start your own chain of 30s … We can’t wait to see what crazy Ian-worthy ideas you all come up with for your 30!

We would like to invite all of you to participate in & complete your – 30 ‘things’ to celebrate (what would have been) Ian’s 30 years.

04/12/2020

Today is Ian’s 30th birthday, or would have been.
Whilst these landmark moments will always be painful for those who knew & loved him, they are also a moment to remember and celebrate the larger-than-life & big-hearted man who was always up for a laugh & flinging himself head first into whatever situation he was involved in.

With that in mind, we would like to invite all of you to participate in & complete your – 30 ‘things’ to celebrate (what would have been) Ian’s 30 years.

The goal:
- Complete your 30 by doing something 30 times or for 30 minutes, or by making 30 things, or consuming 30 items ... (examples & ideas below)
- Donate £3 (or more if you’re feeling generous) to The Ian Williams Foundation – link in bio
- Tag 3 friends to do their

If 50 people complete their donating only the minimum £3 then we will have raised enough for 3 screenings – that is 3 lives that could potentially be saved.
The more people who complete, tag, donate & share the more lives we can protect.

Our hope is that people can remember Ian & celebrate him, raise a little money to protect others, but mostly have some fun – something we all sorely need at the moment!

Some ideas then ...

- Make 30 paper aeroplanes
- Consume 30 mince pies
- Pick your 30 favourite quotes of all time
- Do 30 burpees (or squats or lunges - you get the idea, substitute your favourite exercise!)
- Read 30 articles
- Simultaneously wear 30 items of clothing
- Run for 30 minutes (or 30km if you’re feeling mad)
- Tell 30 jokes
- Colour in 30 pages of a colouring book
- Wish Ian a happy birthday in 30 languages
- Book your team in for screening & protect 30 lives
- Check in on 30 people
- Pick 30 daisies
- Read 30 pages of your favourite book
- Create a playlist of 30 birthday bangers
- Knock back 30 shots
- Prepare (or organise) 30 Operation Christmas child shoeboxes
- Find & collect 30 fallen leaves
- Put on 30 pairs of socks
- Snarf down 30 chicken nuggets
- Survive 30 hill sprints

Helen is kicking us off having baked 30 cupcakes!

But don’t wait to be tagged – start your own chain of 30s … We can’t wait to see what crazy Ian-worthy ideas you all come up with!

https://www.atlasfrc.org/fundraisers/30for30

03/12/2020

2020 has been a year like no other. A year in which the Coronavirus pandemic has dominated our lives, forced us to challenge convention & to adapt. It has required so many to handle terrible loss without the usual comfort of friends/family close at hand.

As many of you know, this year has been particularly tough for Ian’s mum & sister, who tragically lost their husband/dad Philip in June. Their loss so soon after Ian’s death is unspeakably sad, but they have, once again, shown incredible strength & fortitude in their grief.

We like to think that The Foundation has a big heart - it goes out to Pippa and Helen at this particularly difficult time of year.

Indeed, this week would usually mark the Oxford v Cambridge Varsity Rugby match, a fixture in which Ian donned the no.3 shirt 3 times over 3 consecutive years. This Friday, 4th Dec 2020, also marks what would have been Ian’s 30th birthday. We feel a theme coming on!

The restrictions imposed on us all this year, particularly on organised sport at all levels, have resulted in an inevitable pause in The Foundation's campaign to extend cardiac screening to rugby players at all levels. With a renewed appreciation for activities we previously took for granted, we remain more committed than ever to ensuring lives are not lost unnecessarily when participating in life-enriching sport.

The Foundation is acutely aware that the need to support mental health charities is at an all time high & we are looking forward to continuing our support of well established charities in their campaigns to raise awareness, encourage dialogue & enlist help. The lasting effect of lockdown on the population’s mental health is a massive unknown & we are alert & ready to help where we can.

While The Foundation may not have been especially visible over the past few months, we have been busy & were delighted to achieve charitable status in March of this year! We are now looking forward to a year of fundraising opportunities & helping the rugby community extend cardiac screening.

To kick us off & to mark Ian’s 30th this Friday, we will be inviting our followers to get involved in our 30 for 30 campaign. Further details to follow. Watch this space!

Pippa Williams Helen Williams Ian Michael Williams Philip Williams OURFC Blues The Varsity Match Rugby journal Doncaster Knights The Atlas Foundation

14/03/2020

In a brief reprieve from all the seriousness on a global scale we want to take a moment to spread some good news... It is with great joy that we can announce The Ian Williams Foundation is now a fully registered charity with the Charities Commission for England and Wales.
Quite extraordinarily we have been given the registered charity number 1188414, which those of you with a keen eye will be able to see is a number of some consequence for us & more importantly, Ian. We absolutely feel that this is somehow a sign that Ian Michael Williams is on board and in this with us… that he would be pleased and proud to think of us safeguarding athletes using his name and his story.

We are very grateful for all the support that we have been afforded so far, and for all of the work the Trustees are putting in. Keep your eyes peeled for more exciting news and coverage - and in due course more about the team driving our work forward.

In the meantime stay safe everyone - and look for the good if you can’t see it at the moment... it’s definitely there ☺️
#1188 OURFC Blues Pippa Williams Christina Haddad