Woman knitting for charity in memory of footballer

A WOMAN has pledged to knit every day this month for charity in memory of a former Reading FC player.

Lottie Armstrong, 35, is raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

She was inspired by her husband’s grandfather, George Harris, who was a winger for the Royals in the Sixties, scoring 66 goals in 156 appearances.

He also played for Watford, Newport County and Cambridge United.

He passed away in February 2022, aged 81, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about a decade earlier.

Mrs Armstrong, who is a personal assistant with THP solicitors, who have an office in Bell Street, Henley, said the family believed his condition was caused by years of heading a football.

She said: “I was lucky enough to know him before the illness really took effect and he was such a lovely person. The illness severely changed him and I can see how it not only affects the person but also the whole family.

“George was well known for his headers and we suspect that is why he developed his illness later in life.

“There have been lots of studies, especially of footballers and rugby players suffering with Alzheimer’s and dementia because of the head injuries and contact they sustained when playing sport.”

A 2019 study by the University of Glasgow found that former professional footballers were about
3.5 times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases than the general population.

These findings, along with similar research, have sparked debates on modifying training practices and sports’ rules to reduce the risks to players.

The Football Association has introduced guidelines to limit heading in youth football to safeguard players’ long-term health.

Mrs Armstrong said: “This issue is very close to all of our hearts because it impacted us for many years and in some ways it still does, even though George is no longer here.”

Her husband Luke, with whom she has a young daughter, is supporting her challenge.

“He is making sure that I’m trying to do the knitting every day and providing me with time to do it,” said Mrs Armstrong.

“I have found myself a routine that seems to be working. I typically do it in the evenings and sit there while watching the TV.”

She learned how to knit and crochet using YouTube tutorials in 2020 in order to give her something to do during the covid-19 pandemic.

Mrs Armstrong said: “I just taught myself, as I do with most things. I’m a sewer as well. My mum’s a very avid knitter and crocheter. She used to knit these little clown figurines that she’d enter into the local village fair competitions.

“My knitting is not perfect but I think that most people can’t see the problems.

“There’s a saying in sewing that if you can’t see the issue from 3m away, then it’s not a problem.

“When I first started, I made these little pumpkins, which I put up in autumn every year as decorations. I’m still in the process of making myself a jumper, which I started in 2022.”

Her favourite creation so far is an Easter bonnet that she knitted for her daughter last year.

Mrs Armstrong said: “I’m now making her another one because that one is too small for her head.”

To make a donation, visit
socialsync.app/fundraiser/
cr-0d1lljnxq5ppm