The Hugo Rutland Memorial Fund was established in 2005 to support Radley families facing sudden hardship due to bereavement or serious illness. Created in memory of Hugo Rutland (1974, B), the fund helps provide stability for boys during times of crisis, enabling them to remain at Radley when it matters most.
One mother shares what that support meant to her family.
“My husband’s illness came out of the blue and meant he had to stop work at once and undergo many gruelling treatments. The prognosis was grim. It felt like normal life had stopped and we had moved into a very different world.
Our son was very settled in Radley and we wanted to keep him there if at all possible, to give him some kind of stability, to keep him with his friends, teachers and familiar environment in the face of the uncertain times ahead. The Hugo Rutland Fund was a lifeline in helping with this. The support really took the pressure off in that one area, and Radley as a whole helped enormously with keeping that sense of continuity and security through the rest of his time at school. I know he had a lot of close support from some members of staff and the school was very flexible in allowing him extra weekend leave at a time when it was not usual. His friends from Radley are still his close friends, and I know this would be very much less likely if we had not had the Fund’s support, which meant he did not have to move schools.
Terminal illness and sudden deaths are not something anyone wants to think about, but it can and did happen to my family. We will always be grateful to the Rutlands for setting up the fund as their response to tragedy, and value how much it helped us through the unexpected, traumatic time in our own family.”
– Mother of Hugo Rutland Award Beneficiary
In July 2025, friends and family of Hugo Rutland gathered at the College to celebrate his life, 20 years after his death.
“With the support of Radley and a wonderful committee of friends, in July we hosted “A HUGE day at the CREASE and TEE” to mark 20 years since Hugo’s tragic death. It gave us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in memories and to celebrate his life, with a day of sporting fun back at his beloved school.
It is heartwarming to know that the fund has now helped seven families who have experienced similar life-changing events.” – Claire Hay, widow of Hugo Rutland (1974, B)
Hugo’s family, (L-R) Archie, Claire, Eliza and Henry.
