51Âþ»­

A dedicated fund in memory of a much-loved 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) graduate and colleague has been launched to give aspiring students with a flair for media, journalism and sport the opportunity to boost their career opportunities.

The Adam Redfern Memorial Fund has been set up in memory of 51Âþ»­’s Senior Social Media Officer, Journalism alumnus and fitness enthusiast, Adam Redfern, who died suddenly of a heart attack while out jogging in March 2021, aged 28.

Donations to the fund will enable ambitious students who share Adam’s passions to make the most out of their time at 51Âþ»­ through scholarships, bursaries and monetary awards.

It is a fitting tribute to Adam, who, first as a student, then as a key member of the De Montfort Students’ Union and, finally, as part of 51Âþ»­ communications team, was an integral part of the university’s community for almost a decade.

The Adam Redfern Memorial Fund will also shine a light on and raise awareness of SADS (sudden arrhythmic death syndrome), when someone dies suddenly following a cardiac arrest and no obvious cause can be found.

It will do this through fundraising events hosted in Adam’s memory and by supporting the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, a Leicestershire-based charity set up to break the 'silence' on SADS and create a new generation of young life savers through the provision of CPR training and funding more defibrillators across the county.

Adam’s parents, Ian and Christine Redfern, commented: "Losing Adam so suddenly and unexpectedly came as a huge shock, but in the time that has passed since, we have taken great comfort from the outpouring of warmth towards Adam and the genuine respect for what he achieved in his short life. We could never have imagined that he would have made such a lasting impact on so many people. 

“Being able to continue Adam's legacy at 51Âþ»­, a place where he spent almost all of his adult life, means a lot to us. We are grateful to everyone at the university who has worked with us to bring this fund to fruition. We hope that it proves to be a great success; supporting individuals and groups involved in journalism and sport; two of Adam's greatest passions.

“As we saw with Christian Eriksen only last week, undiagnosed heart problems can affect even the fittest of us. Hopefully, the fund can also help to raise awareness of this issue and the importance of prompt CPR and defibrillator use.”

Donations to the Adam Redfern Memorial Fund will allow 51Âþ»­ to provide bursaries in Journalism and Sport, as well as prizes for students who go above and beyond their studies.

The fund will also be used to provide support for 51Âþ»­ Sport and Demon Media, to ensure students who get involved with these groups continue to have the best experience possible. This could include grants to sports clubs, crowdfunding projects, fund volunteering opportunities, workshops and widening participation projects, to name just a few.

 Fiona Dick, Head of Sport at 51Âþ»­, said: “The impact of raising funds in Adam’s name is wonderful. Adam was a key player in the creation of 51Âþ»­sport, he lived and breathed not just 51Âþ»­ football, but weaved himself into the very fibre of many student activities.

“The impact of supporting students who have demonstrated the values that Adam did is exciting. I feel the legacy of this fund will be so very valuable to the students and activities who we will come to support.”

Lawrence Robertson, Chair of Demon Media, said: “The Adam Redfern Memorial Fund is a wonderful tribute to Adam, who put so much of his time and effort into making Demon Media such an outstanding student group.

“The fund will be enormously beneficial for Demon, allowing us to continue to provide students with experience of media and journalism and expand the opportunities we offer, giving them the chance to follow in Adam’s footsteps by making a huge difference, both within 51Âþ»­ and beyond.”

Described as “the best of 51Âþ»­ in one person”, Adam first arrived in 2011 to study Journalism (BA Hons) and soon after, he became a member of the men’s football team and volunteered for all three strands of Demon Media, the university’s student broadcaster.

After graduating Adam joined 51Âþ»­’s communications team, helping to improve the profile of 51Âþ»­sport and leading creative campaigns to promote Varsity. He also played a vital role in growing the university’s social media into the well-regarded, award-winning presence it is today.

A special will take place on Saturday 24 July, to remember Adam and raise money for the memorial fund, while Ian and Christine are also embarking on a sponsored 150-mile walk over 15 days from Sunday 25 July, retracing the footsteps of Adam’s favourite walks.

“We look forward to celebrating Adam's life with as many of his friends and colleagues as possible at the special Celebration of Life event in his memory on Saturday 24 July,” Ian and Christine added.