Thurstonland Cricket Club

Dan Davies-Riand 2010-2024

May 17th – Remembering Dan DR 2010-2024

Please pass this on to anyone that knew and loved Dan.

1pm:

Dan will arrive on Thurstonland Bank Road above our house at 1pm on Friday the 17th May. For people coming from afar our address is Brickfield House, 1 Top of the Hill, Thurstonland. HD46XZ. You can park on Thurstonland Bank (apart from where the cones will be), or along Marsh Hall Lane.

The procession will be lead by Dan’s big orange Ford Ranger, with Daniel behind. We will be travelling through the village at walking pace. It will be starting at the home he loved, past the Rose and Crown pub which cooks his favourite scampi and chips, and where we have celebrated many occasions. Then past his first home on the Village Green, turning left at the Green and past Thurstonland First School where he grew up. It will then pass the village park he played in and Thurstonland Cricket Club where he hit many 6s and took many wickets for. Then we will be making our way to directly to Grenoside Crematorium (post code: S35 8RZ) out past his golf club at Woodsome Hall (where the flag has been flying half mast since his passing).

2pm:

Service at Grenoside crematorium.

Please wear whatever you feel comfortably smart in. If you want to wear something colourful please do. He wouldn’t want everyone in black so don’t feel obliged to come in dark colours.

Everyone is welcome, and there will be ushers at the door to greet and direct you. The capacity is 165 people seated in the North Chapel. They don’t allow standing in the Chapel itself, but there is an area to stand outside where it will be possible to listen to the service. Everyone, inside and out, will have the opportunity to pay their final respects to Dan at the end of the service.

4pm:

Help us celebrate Dan’s life at his second home: Thongsbridge Tennis Club, Miry Lane, HD9 7RY.

Young people and children are welcome. The club have kindly let us have plenty of indoor space to recreate a bigger version of the well loved “Junior Night” on Friday evenings, many of which we have all loved in the past with fun and laughter.

We will have 2 tennis courts for those who want to play, which will be on court 1 (where Dan spent many mornings with his favourite coach Nick) and court 2, which will be supervised by some of the older tennis hitters and coaches. Inflatable assault course for the kids on court 3. There will be a bar and a BBQ with tables and seating on court 4, alongside an area of reflection to watch photos and videos of Dan with his friends and family over the years. Court side we will be playing Dan’s music playlist of all his favourites over the years.

Junior night at the tennis club was one of Dan’s favourite times at the club. He said he didn’t want us to be sad for ever, and while that is a very big ask, we hope spending time with lots of people who have loved him and supported us will help start us all on our way.

We have been asked about flowers and donations by a few people. We would rather not have lots of cut flowers that will fade, instead, if you want to do something please plant flowers, trees or shrubs in his memory and help them grow.

Please help Dan’s spirit stay alive by taking inspiration from his kindness, bravery and his love of life, his friends, family and sport. Please use your favourite memories of him to become better people, in this way he will live on in all of us. That will be a fitting, if more costly donation.

With lots of love from The Davies-Riands XXxx