Mum who set up trust in memory of footballer Jordan Sinnott dies from cancer

The campaigning mother of a footballer who was killed on a night out with friends has died from cancer.

Melanie Tait set up the Jordan Sinnott Foundation Trust in memory of her son, who suffered fatal head injuries when he was attacked in Retford, Nottinghamshire, in January 2020.

The charity aims to help vulnerable and under-privileged children benefit from sport.

The trust announced Ms Tait's death in a social media post on Sunday.

It said: "It’s with the heaviest of hearts we would like to share the devastating news that yesterday, after a long fight with cancer, our beautiful Melanie has gained her wings.

"We are utterly heartbroken."

Sinnott, who played for Chesterfield, Halifax, and Huddersfield before joining Matlock Town, was attacked after leaving a pub in Retford in June 2020.

The 25-year-old suffered a fractured skull and died in hospital from brain injuries. Three men were later jailed for the attack.

A former police detective in West Yorkshire, Ms Tait was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in August 2022.

She did a skydive earlier this year to raise money for the charity she founded.

Speaking about it to ITV News in June, she said she still wanted to "make the most" of her life following her diagnosis.

"Every day matters and every moment matters in life and I'm just happy I'm still here to be able to jump out of a plane and make the most of my life," she said.

"As sad as [the cancer diagnosis] is, life goes on, but to me, knowing everybody's fine when I go, that means so much to me, and I just think the charity is going to go from strength to strength and Jordan's legacy is going to carry on."

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