Iggy’s Fund: Remembering a gentle giant and apple crumble

I spotted a LinkedIn post and it gave me pause to smile, think of a friend who is no longer with us, his wonderful family and the legacy he has left behind.

It also prompted fond flashbacks of apple crumble but we’ll come to that.

Alan Igglesden (above right), known to everyone as Iggy, played for Kent and England. He represented his country in three Tests, four ODIs and finished his career with 503 first-class wickets, topped up with 190 dismissals in List A cricket.

To condense Iggy’s cricketing accomplishments into a flurry of stats, perhaps held together with sticking plaster and a fog of deep heat, would be to miss his wicked sense of humour, sweet tooth and abundant kindness.

Having been diagnosed with a brain tumour many years ago, he died on 1 November 2021, aged 57, and is still missed by all those whose lives he touched.

Iggy’s Fund

Last year, Kevin, Iggy’s brother, messaged me to ask if I’d do an article on Iggy’s Fund, the charity set up to support young sports stars, increase participation in community sports events, support those suffering from brain tumours and provide funds to aid research.

Kev said: “As Alan was my best mate and hero, I’m determined to carry on working hard to continue the legacy left by Alan to help find a cure for this horrible disease and support young people who may turn into the next international sports person.”

In 2024, the charity is only a year old but has already donated £20,000 to a brain tumour research programme as well as supporting grassroots cricket in the form of sponsorship of Bingley Congs juniors; the West Yorkshire club where Iggy played and for a short time, I turned out alongside him.

There are a few charity cricket matches planned this season along with the annual golf day that has been running for years. During his life, Iggy did tremendous fundraising with £300,000 raised for Brain Tumour Charity and £25,000 for the Professional Cricketers’ Trust.

The annual match at Bingley Congs Cricket Club will likely be in September again, I took this in 2021 and try to go every year.

If you want to do your own charity event in aid of Iggy’s Fund, I know it would mean a lot and go to a truly fantastic cause.

March is Brain Tumour Awareness Month and in 2024, Iggy’s dad Trevor was one of 34 people invited to Parliament Square in London to hold a photo of a lost loved one.

The significance of 34 is how many are diagnosed with a brain tumour every day in the UK.

You remember I mentioned apple crumble?

Well, Iggy, his wife Liz and daughter Beth came round to our flat in 2020 for a meal.

There was laughter and my wife’s apple crumble went down very well with Iggy. Definitely seconds and probably thirds. He was a tall man and had an impressive appetite.

I remember it fondly for many reasons, not least because it was our last social contact with anyone for a long, long time due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

The following 18 months would change us all but Iggy’s spirit and impact lives on.

Support Iggy’s Fund This Year

To do your own fundraiser or to donate, visit iggysfund.com. You can follow @IggysFUNd on Twitter or Iggy’s Fund on Facebook.

To learn more about Iggy, you can read my article about interviewing him for The Cricketer which is how I first met him and playing cricket with Iggy at Bingley Congs.