England cricket stars lit up day two of the Ashes as they wore “Red for Ruth” – in support of the cancer charity set up by former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss to honour his late wife.
Sir Andrew was dressed head to toe in the colour at the Lord’s cricket ground for the annual Red for Ruth day, which is now in its fifth year.
The day aims to raise awareness of the Ruth Strauss Foundation, which supports thousands of families dealing with the impact of a terminal cancer diagnosis.
The charity said “spectators, supporters, broadcasters, volunteers, and sponsors” would wear the colour to help “raise funds to support families facing grief”.
Players including Kevin Pietersen and Moeen Ali all took part in the tribute to Ruth.
Actor Stephen Fry was also seen standing brightly in red.
What is the Ruth Strauss Foundation?
Sir Andrew set up the Ruth Strauss Foundation in memory of his late wife, who died in 2018 from non-smoking lung cancer.
Ruth died aged 46, leaving behind two children, then aged 10 and 13.
At the time, Sir Andrew said in a statement: “It is with great sadness and immense grief that we have to announce that Ruth passed away today as a result of her rare lung cancer.
“Sam, Luca and I will miss her terribly.”
The foundation aims to provide “emotional support for families to prepare for the death of a parent” and “raise awareness of the need for more research & collaboration in the fight against non-smoking lung cancers”, according to its website.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Sir Andrew said: “About two weeks before Ruth died, she and I had a conversation about what would a foundation do, if we set the foundation up in her name, what would we focus on…
“She [Ruth] talked about helping people to do death well, and that’s effectively what we are trying to do at the Ruth Strauss Foundation.”
Read more from Sky News:
Smokers and ex-smokers aged 55-74 to be offered free lung cancer screenings
Study in memory of Girls Aloud star to identify young women most at risk of breast cancer
England’s official Twitter account praised the charity and its efforts to support families across the country.
It wrote: “A special day. A brilliant cause. Today, @HomeOfCricket turns #RedForRuth.”
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Lord’s Cricket Ground also tweeted about the cause and said: “Lord’s turns #RedForRuth.”
The pavilion stewards at the cricket grounds were also pictured in red honouring Red for Ruth.
#RedForRuth in pictures
