Ipswich-East Suffolk Hockey Club
Based at Ipswich School Sports Centre, The Street, Rushmere, IP5 1DE
If you would like to learn when and how to do CPR to save someone’s life, you can complete a basic 15 minute training session from home via the British Heart Foundation RevivR mobile training. Please follow this link if you would like to complete the session: https://revivr.bhf.org.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvP-1w73U_AIVCMbtCh1QVgrIEAAYASAAEgLPDfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
On Saturday 7th January 2023, during the first half of a hockey match between Ipswich East Suffolk Hockey Club Men’s 2nd XI and Bury St Edmunds Hockey Club Men’s 4th XI, at Ipswich School’s Sports Centre in Rushmere, one of the umpires – Richard Pittaway – collapsed.
Richard, 59, is a well-known and much respected person in Suffolk Hockey circles. Most recently an umpire, he played the game for years and has coached hundreds of young people – including one he won’t forget.
First aid was provided to Richard on site – both via CPR and the use of the on-site defibrillator. The East of England Ambulance Service attended promptly, as well as the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Richard was stabilised by the pitch and then flown to Basildon Hospital, where he remained till Thursday afternoon. He is now home to continue his recovery.
When Richard’s wife, Jean, thanked one of the specialists at the Hospital for saving Richard’s life they advised her that “It was the people at the pitch that did that.”
At the pitch, first aid was provided to Richard by a number of people from the following clubs who were on the site at the time: Ipswich East Suffolk Hockey Club (IESHC), Bury St Edmunds Hockey Club, Colchester Hockey Club and Kesgrave Association Football Club.
The first person to provide aid was George Austin, 19, who was playing in the IES 2nd XI. George was coached by Richard when he was younger. George learnt his first aid skills while studying Childcare Level 3 at Suffolk New College. He and others continued to support Richard, with CPR and a defibrillator, until paramedics were able to take over. Coincidentally, one of the paramedics that attended is a former Ipswich East Suffolk member who has known Richard for years.
Alison Millyard (IESHC Chair) said: “We are so grateful to everyone who pitched in last weekend to support Richard and delighted with the progress he is making. It is great that we play our home games on such a good and well managed site – without the school’s defibrillator the outcome may have been tragically different. We also know, that the last week has been really tough for many of our members who witnessed events or who have known Richard for years – so we are pleased we were able to put on some drop-in counselling sessions on Saturday 14th for people who wished to get support or just have a chat.”
“We will also be putting on some training for our members on CPR and defibrillator use before the summer and we have decided to support the East Anglian Air Ambulance with the proceeds of our annual charity day that will take place in summer 2023 – as a mark of gratitude for their role in saving Richard’s life.”
Neil Scrine, general manager of Ipswich School Sports Centre, said: “We are delighted to hear that Richard is now recovering at home. We have nothing but praise for all those who assisted on site during the emergency – it was a real team effort. We wish Richard all the best with his recovery.”
The game itself was abandoned and has been rescheduled for 18th February 2023. Richard is hoping to be able to attend so he can say thanks to everyone in person.
The final words should go to Richard: “I know I have been very lucky and I am so grateful to all those that have provided me with aid and care since I collapsed – both people from the NHS and the Air Ambulance, everyone who responded so quickly and effectively at the pitch and those involved in ensuring there is a defibrillator on-site. I’m very much looking forward to thanking them.”
“Hockey has been a huge part of my life – and I’m particularly touched to have found out that someone I once coached was so central to saving my life. But I am becoming more and more aware how much of a team effort it was – and I can’t really say anything more than repeat that I am just so thankful and grateful to all – be they people I have known for years or people I have never met, who just pitched in.”
Been inspired by England’s success at the Commonwealth Games? New to the area and want to join a fun, thriving and ambitious hockey club? Look no further than IES!
We cater for all ages, abilities and genders, have fantastic facilities and host a number of charity and social events throughout the year! 🏑
Interested? Use our contact us page or send an email to info@ieshc.org
Weekly training will resume on the following dates – please note slightly altered training times. These are the on-pitch times, please arrive 15 mins beforehand to register and warm up
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
The IES Club Day will take place on Saturday 3 September. This will take a slightly different format from previous years, and will consist of a series of short matches to help coaches, captains and others select our new teams / squads for the early part of next season, including the transition of Juniors into Senior sides, and it will also help with the development of our U12/U14 Junior sides.
The match fee for ALL players will be £5. (If Year 9 players are taking part in both parts of the afternoon, they only have to pay once!).
Saturday matches will start from 10 September – and the league season starts on 17 September.
Please sign up for the Club Day 3 September afternoon so that we know who will be attending. This event will be an important part of selection this season, so we hope you will make every effort to attend.
SIGN UP FORM: https://forms.gle/Dz5DSyHM31v9HViGA
Just a reminder that the club AGM will take place on Thursday 30 June at 7pm at ISSC. Please try to attend what is an important meeting as we look ahead to the new season. Members should have received an AGM Information Pack via email.
Ipswich East Suffolk HC are seeking talented coaches to the club to work with our senior 1st teams, who play at the top of the East Area leagues, and in support of our club and junior club programmes. We can offer competitive remuneration for the right candidates and we will be pleased to discuss details with interested parties. We look forward to hearing from you, whether you are an experienced coach or someone starting on the coaching pathway.
IES HC a club for all the family, based at a venue with world class facilities, is looking to recruit new members of all ages. We offer hockey for women, men, boys and girls of all ages and all abilities. So if you are a beginner, someone coming back to hockey or if you just fancy a new challenge at one of the region’s leading clubs, now is the time to get in touch.
Summer league, starting in May, is a great opportunity to meet IES members and play some hockey in a fun and friendly atmosphere. If you would like to join an IES summer league team or come to one of our matches, contact Jess Gray (women/girls) at jessgray2110@hotmail.com or Geoff reed (men/boys) at Geoff.reed@live.co.uk
We are excited to announce a new Back to Hockey programme at IES. Whether you have never played hockey, or haven’t played for a while, these fun sessions for adults will build your confidence on the hockey pitch.
The first session will take place on Sunday 15 May from 9.15am to 10.15am. This has been timed so that parents can drop their Junior hockey players at their training at 9am, and then come for some hockey fun themselves!
To join in, just come along to Ipswich School Centre and speak to Moira and Pete on Sunday morning. You don’t need a hockey stick or other equipment (unless you already have something at home), just comfortable clothes and trainers for running around, and a refillable water bottle.
We are hoping to run these sessions on Sunday mornings until the start of July, but there will also be a special Back to Hockey training on Saturday 25 June as part of the Charity Day – people can sign up for the June session here: https://forms.gle/Kmv8b9bKFywh5Fok6
If you are already an IES hockey player – please pass this on to anyone you know who may be interested in starting to play hockey!
We hope you’ve had a great Christmas! To get you back into hockey-mode, we are planning some senior social intra-club matches for Saturday 8 January at Rushmere.
These will be open to anyone aged 13 or over (from the senior and junior sections). Cost will be £10 (adults) and £5 (students/juniors). Time – 11.30am. We hope to be able to provide refreshments afterwards.
There will be a mixed hockey match in addition to the M4/M5 match already scheduled.
Please complete your availability on the form linked below, by Mon 3 Jan 2022.
https://forms.gle/vjYVEFZyhWNYrHMj9
Thanks – and Happy New Year!