Events
7 April 2024
Fifteen years have disappeared. Anyone who sees this message please raise a glass on 7th April in memory of our Beautiful Grace.
7 April 2023
It’s already 14 years of missing Grace.
All her friends everywhere, and our friends and relations, please join us in raising your glasses tomorrow to toast her 
It really helps us.
7 April 2022
Now it has been thirteen years of missing Grace. The years come round so fast and I am hoping that Grace’s friends and our family and friends will all raise a glass to Grace again this year on 7th April. We will raise ours at 7pm as usual. She is still very much around in our family, we talk about and think about her daily. I think she is well remembered throughout the world too by those who knew and loved her. Our family loves the strength we feel when everyone is thinking of Grace on the same day, sometimes even at the same time. The contribution she has made to our family is unfathomable!
7 April 2021
Another year (12 now) we will be raising our glasses to remember our Beautiful Grace...do please join us at 7pm (or any time today) - it is a wonderful thing to know she has so many friends, relations, and even people she hardly knew, remembering her all over the world
7 April 2020
Another April is here and, and for me (perhaps some others), April has become synonymous with Grace. When I see the daffodils either side of the path up to our church, I remember the massive support our family was given by over 400 friends and relations eleven years ago. Now we have developed this wonderful way to remember Grace and here I am reminding you again! Please raise your glasses to Grace, together with us, on 7th April (we will at 7pm) so we can all toast and remember her together. It happens all over the world so the time doesn't really matter. It will produce a warm uplifting feeling - despite the enforced social distancing this year.
AND, please be sure to click on the butterfly on the Home Page so you can hear the Song for Grace that Harry Lloyd (aka Waiting for Smith) has written, and sings, for Grace. It is available on Spotify (not this recording which is mine so not very brilliant!) and has been heard all over the world so, as usual, Grace is stretching far and wide and not forgotten
16th June 2019
Celebrating Grace from Teddies TV on Vimeo.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/grace-netball
We should be delighted if you are able to join us (and perhaps make up or join a team of seven players for the tournament).
We know and understand that not everyone will be able to be there on the day but, if you can be, please be sure to reply to the School as that way they will know how many to cater for and, also, we hope very much to collect some funds for further improving Grace's Netball Court and supporting Grace's Sisters (the team) in Malawi.
You'll see that we also have a JustGiving page for anyone wishing to donate https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/grace-netball. Even the smallest amount will be fully appreciated. Tom Bowden (he has been instrumental in creating Grace's Netball Court through Building Malawi) will be coming on the 16th and updating us regarding the progress on the Court. One day Bill and I hope to visit.... don't forget, if you are passing that way, you would always be welcome!
We are really proud that Grace's Netball Court is the first publicly accessible concrete netball court in Malawi! I am very much hoping that eventually (it's the plan) some of Grace's art will be reproduced and shown there as well. So funds are most welcome.
We greatly look forward to you being with us in body and/or spirit on 16th June!
Carol and Bill
7th April 2019
We should be in Washington Airport at 7pm on 7th April, raising our glasses to our beautiful Grace. Wherever you are in the world, please join us (any time on 7th but 7pm is the best!) to celebrate the joy Grace has given us, and always goes on giving, even though we have been without her now for ten years. Looking forward to more celebrations and fun for Grace on Sunday, 16th June.
7th April 2018
It is April again already and 9 years since we last saw Grace. I still think about her every day of the year but, right now, she is constantly with me.
For the last couple of years we have achieved a very special thing....so many friends all around the world have raised their glasses to Grace on 7th April. It gives us a wonderful warm feeling to think that we are all remembering Grace together.
If you have the chance, please raise your glasses to Grace again this year on Saturday the 7th April ... hopefully at 7pm but any time of the day will do! Strength in numbers!
Next year it will be ten years since her accident. It's hard to believe. Perhaps we can do something a little more for her. I should love to hear any suggestions (picnic at our house? Punting in Oxford? Church service with readings you would choose? A little photo album? A netball match at Teddies (thank you Vicky!)).
If anyone has any photos or videos of Grace they can share with us, that would be so good as I am sure there are lots we haven't seen. Thank you.
Looking forward to feeling the vibes around 7pm on the 7th.
Much love, Carol xxx
April 2018
A lady from an organisation called ‘Inspire Malawi’ recently visited and donated bibs to ‘Grace’s Sisters’ netball girls.
October 2017
Introducing "Grace's Sisters"
"We were so pleased to meet some of the netball players at Grace’s netball court, Lingadzi Academy. It was great to meet such a lovely group of talented young Malawian women. We told them about how the court was built in memory of Grace and they now go by the team name “Grace’s Sisters”!"
Saturday 8th April 2017
We have all been missing Grace for eight years now; and in some ways time has stood still. We love remembering her together with you, all her lovely and good friends. If anyone is within range of Lower Swell on Saturday, 8th April, please come and join us for a drink and snack at the Golden Ball (as usual!) in memory of Grace.
Once again, it would be really happy for us if all, who can, would please raise a glass and toast Grace at 7pm (or around!) on Friday, 7th April. Last year we felt a lovely warm glow knowing so many were thinking of her (mostly all at the same time but it was fun to know she was thought of at other times all around the world) - Thank you.
February 2016 - Grace's Netball Court Update
The lines have been painted on Grace's netball court.
Saturday 11th April 2015
Our time to remember Grace was lovely. Very few friends came but those who did made our day really special and uplifting. We didn't expect to have a service but, thanks to our retired priest, Jane, we met in the church for an opening prayer followed by a few readings which each of us had chosen carefully for our own reasons of remembrance. As well as Grace, Ed Cakebread (who died 2 days before Grace) was in our minds especially during Stuart's reading.
Please click here to view these beautiful readings. Details of all of Grace's past services are on her Memories page.
After being in church, we went to see Grace (we found Grace's favourite highly scented pink and white lilies galore....thank you so much to all the Davidsons) and then for a drink and snack at the Golden Ball. It is always good to meet Grace's friends there! I think it will be happening again next year....
Grace's Netball Court Construction
Building Malawi is creating a netball centre in memory of Grace. It will feature 3 tree lined netball courts and a large thatch building which has a stage and changing rooms. Grace's Netball Court will be decorated with Grace's art work and be a place for the girls to meet socially, as well as being used for drama productions and an annual rock festival.
In March 2013, Grace's brother, Jasper, together with Ross Bruce, Mike Dunn and Ben 'Stothard' Watson', raised £10,000 towards this project by running the 79 mile Jurassic ultramarathon in the most atrocious weather ever experienced in that event.
Enormous thanks to all who so generously supported Jasper, Ross, Mike and Ben, and this cause, ensuring that the dream of Grace's Netball Court will come true.
Tom Bowden and Rachel Balm (Building Malawi) have said:
"We see all the elements as part of Grace's memory and have used the money donated to Building Malawi from the Mad Hatters Tea Party and the sales of Grace's Print, money that was donated by Francis, along with Jasper and boys' marathon money to fund the thatch, hard surface courts and soon will pay for the netball posts and balls etc.
It sounds quite normal to have a netball court but the venue is the first of its kind in Malawi. The whole site 'Lingadzi Academy' is already the largest sports venue in the whole country! Grace's court will be the first free to use hard surface netball court in the whole country! Crazy hey!"
Already two of Grace's friends have visited the site; all offers of netball coaching will always be welcome!
For more information, please check out:
http://www.buildingmalawi.com/grace-hadman-netball-court-malawi.html
Read more from Jasper on Past Events and see images of progress here:
If you would like to donate to Building Malawi, please follow this link ...
Here's a picture of Grace's Netball Court hard surface under construction earlier this week.
The JURASSIC MARATHON to build 'GRACE'S NETBALL COURT' in Malawi
22nd - 24th March 2013
Jasper said: 'My sister loved netball – she played Goal Attack in her school 1st VII. She was always a determined sportswoman; not long before she died in a car accident in 2009, her school created a special prize – the Most Improved Sportsperson Award – to reward her efforts. She was so proud of this achievement that she wouldn’t even rise to teasing about how bad she must have been to start with. Now she is to receive another truly remarkable honour – it’s the reason I’m doing this 79-mile ultramarathon along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
My friend, Tom Bowden, co-founder of the charity ‘Building Malawi’, has pledged to build ‘Grace’s Netball Court’ in Lilongwe, Malawi. This will enable young underprivileged Malawian girls to have their very own netball court and enjoy everything that Grace so loved about being part of a team. Building Malawi has all the experience and expertise to make sure this project is sustainable and will last long into the future for the benefit of everyone involved. Grace’s Netball Court will be decorated with her artwork and will also be used for drama productions, a massive annual rock festival and as a place for girls to meet socially.
Grace was familiar with Building Malawi – she once raised money for it by doing a 24-hr fast (a huge challenge for someone with an appetite like hers) – and she really believed in the work they do. She would be amazed and overjoyed to know there is to be a netball court in Lilongwe named after her.