Richard Pigden

Legacy fan. First home game 1968. First away 1974. Matthew Harding upper since the old west stand bit the dust. Benches then the tea bar as a youngster.

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@prodnose Nearly as bad as the BBC commentator’s “Houston, Sweden have a problem”

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@centregoals You seem to have missed Aston Villa from this list

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@piersmorgan

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@norman_speakes @sirichkirby Wow. I stand corrected. I wonder why BBC had so many more viewers.

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@norman_speakes @sirichkirby I think because the replay was midweek it was only shown on one channel which is why the audience was so high. The first game would have been watched by a similar number but split across both BBC and ITV. I couldn’t tell you for sure because I was at the game plus I was only 9.

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@theawayfans No wonder they were having their visa’s revoked 🤣

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@martynziegler The other referees should be taking action and supporting him.

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

RIP Bobby. He scored 4 against Sunderland in my second visit to the bridge and quite obviously loved Chelsea as much as the fans loved him. Really nice guy who always had time for a quick chat when you bumped into him. Sad loss.

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

In late 2014, a six-week-old baby boy was brought into Evelina London Children’s Hospital barely alive.

His tiny body had been so badly abused by his birth parents that doctors feared he would not survive his first Christmas.

He underwent emergency surgery on Christmas Day.

He had eight broken bones.
Head trauma.
Organ failure.
Toxic shock.
Sepsis.

Both of his legs became infected beyond saving.

At just three years old, Tony Hudgell had both legs amputated below the knee.

Most people would understand if a story like this ended there.

But Tony survived.

And then, quietly, slowly, unbelievably… he began changing the lives of other people.

Paula and Mark Hudgell from Kent became Tony’s foster carers and later adopted him. They stood beside him through 23 operations, years of recovery, and the painful process of learning to walk again using prosthetic legs.

In 2018, Tony’s birth parents were sentenced to 10 years in prison for child cruelty the maximum sentence available at the time.

But Tony’s story was never going to be defined only by what happened to him.

In 2020, during the pandemic, five-year-old Tony watched Captain Sir Tom Moore raising money for the NHS by walking laps of his garden.

Tony turned to his mum and said:

“I want to do something too.”

So he decided to walk 10 kilometres on his prosthetic legs to raise money for the hospital that saved his life.

His family hoped to raise £500.

Day after day, Tony walked.

Through pain.
Through exhaustion.
Through moments where every step hurt.

He ended up walking 12 kilometres.

And by the end of it, that little boy had raised £1.7 million.

The entire country fell in love with him.

He received messages from Prince William and Catherine.
His face appeared in Piccadilly Circus.
He was invited to Downing Street.
And in 2024, at just nine years old, Tony became the youngest person ever to receive the British Empire Medal.

But the most important thing Tony helped change wasn’t public attention.

It was the law.

His adoptive mother, Paula, campaigned tirelessly for tougher sentences for people who abuse children.

In 2022, “Tony’s Law” was passed in the UK, allowing much harsher prison sentences including life sentences in the worst child cruelty cases.

A law now exists because one little boy survived long enough to tell the world something had to change.

Then in 2025, Tony decided to do something else.

He climbed the O2 Arena in London.

He was terrified of heights.

But he climbed anyway.

Forty-five minutes later, the boy doctors once believed would never survive infancy stood at the top of one of London’s most iconic landmarks.

That climb raised more than £120,000.

And Tony used that money for something beautiful.

In December 2025, 61 children who had experienced trauma were flown to Lapland, Finland a place filled with snow, reindeer, Santa Claus, and a few precious days where they could simply be children again.

No hospitals.
No courtrooms.
No fear.

Just joy.

Tony once called Lapland “the most magical place in the world.”

So he shared that magic with children who needed it most.

That may be the most extraordinary part of all.

Tony Hudgell took the worst thing imaginable unimaginable cruelty inflicted on a helpless baby and turned it into hope for other children.

He changed laws.
Raised millions.
Helped families heal.
And gave traumatised children memories they will carry forever.

All before turning eleven.

Some people survive terrible things.

Tony Hudgell survived terrible things and decided to help other people survive too.

That is something truly rare.

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@ItsNeverYou22 Desperately hoping this is successful. As was the case when Hugh was having treatment fight with everything you can.

[Bradford City AFC @officialbantams]

On this day 41 years ago, 54 Bradford City supporters and two Lincoln City supporters went to a football match and never returned home.

We will never forget those who sadly lost their lives, and as always, our thoughts are with their families and the hundreds still affected by the disaster to this day.

Always in our hearts. 🎗️

#BCAFC

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@centregoals @LARGOESPN Utter nonsense Will there be a most improved player award as well?

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@MartinKnight_ 1985

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@TaxiManTips @DerekLary @DonnyWills83 @IllLeaveMyMark Like this one you mean?

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

“A process of self reflection” 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@1JamesCHELSEA @jksheva7 @swp29 Our support at this game was off the scale. No half and half scarves or club Chelsea corporates in the away end that night.

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@MartinKnight_ I walked over it on Saturday, roughly 60 years after I fell off my bike on the approach to it during one of my first visits to the park.

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@DR62CFC @eddiemacbawa @CFC_Independent I remember seeing you as we passed your broken down coach on the motorway. Grief I’m sure you could have done without. Whole day was a disaster for most of us.

[Richard Pigden @RichardPigden]

@paula_hudgell Fantastic effort. Thank you to all those who made this happen.