Leeds man takes on touching challenge for SADS UK in memory of his partner's late fiancé
A Leeds man is taking on a touching challenge in memory of his partner's late fiancé, who died suddenly three months before her wedding.
Rob Golding, 29, had his life cut short after he went into cardiac arrest in February 2021, leaving his fiancée Amy Charlton heartbroken.
He had no diagnosed health conditions and it took six weeks for a coroner to establish the cause of his death as Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).
Amy's world was ripped apart but she "pushed on" with the support of her family and friends, who took turns to stay with her in the home she had shared with Rob in Halton.
"He was a gentle giant," Amy, 30, told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
"He was a big guy and a rugby fanatic - and really funny. He was constantly coming up with one-liners.
"Everybody that met him fell in love with him."
Although Amy wasn't looking for another relationship, she met Steve in August last year and the pair established a friendship.
From the beginning, Steve supported Amy through her ongoing grief and was committed to keeping Rob's memory alive.
"It took us a little while, but slowly it developed into something more," Amy said.
"He held my heart so gently that I didn't know it was being held."
To pay his respects to rugby-mad Rob, Steve is preparing to set off on a thousand-mile journey on his motorbike, raising £1,000 for charity SADS UK.
He will visit every rugby national stadium within 24 hours, setting off from Leeds to Murrayfield, The Principality Stadium and then Twickenham, collecting pennant flags for each nation.
Steve will finish his journey at Andover Rugby Club, in Rob's hometown in Hampshire, placing the flags at a memorial dedicated to him.
"I think it's incredibly touching and such a respectful thing for him to do," Amy added.
"This is bringing my two worlds together - my love for Rob, which I will have until the day I die, but also this new man that's come in and brought the sunshine back into my life.
"He's not only embraced me, he's embracing my past and Rob too."
Steve, 36, said: “Rob will be forever with us, he’s a part of Amy and therefore he’s a part of us.
"He was unduly taken from Amy and I count myself very lucky that I've met her.
“This is a great way to keep him alive, as we always will do."
Steve has already reached his £1,000 target on a JustGiving page a month before the ride.
The money will aid SADS UK in providing information, funding research and medical equipment to prevent premature sudden cardiac death.
“It’s such a silent thing," Steve added.
"It can take anybody at any time. And after somebody has gone because of SADS, the issue of trying to find out what’s happened to them is another cruel part of it."
You can donate to Steve's fundraiser here.