Following the sad news of the passing of Stuart Widger, the close family have confirmed that in accordance with Stuart’s wishes, he will have a “pure cremation” with no formal ceremony or mourners present at the crematorium.

St Austell RFC will be hosting a Memorial Day in honour of Stuart Widger on Friday 20 March 2026.

This will be a fantastic occasion bringing together Stuart’s extended family, former teammates, and his many friends in remembrance of one life’s great characters.

The day will combine all things that Stuart loved the most – his family, his friends, and rugby.

Format of the Day

14:00 - The Clubhouse doors will swing open allowing everyone to get their first drink.

14:30 – We will be joined by Stuart’s wife Sue and the immediate family.

14:45 onwards – we will honour Stuart with a series of tributes and shared memories from family members and close friends. Entwined with the oratories will be traditional Cornish songs, sea shanties and rugby songs along with a selection of some of Stuart’s favourite music.

Late afternoon - Widge’s favourite band The Tregony Teachers, featuring son-in-law Jon Winter and former Saints Captain Andy Ashwin, will bring their unique brand of chorded chaos to proceedings.

19:30 – The occasion will be capped off with one of Stuart’s biggest passions - rugby. The Sinners will play Wadebridge Camels 2s on the main pitch.

Food will be provided with a traditional feast of pasties, saffron cake and jam-first scones and cream!

There is no formal dress code, but we would encourage people to wear the colours of the rugby clubs that Stuart played for and loved so much:

St Austell RFC – Red and White
Lankelly-Fowey RFC – Blue, Gold and White
Bolingey Barbarians – Black and Gold

Book of Memories – how you can help!

Stuart was a devoted Grandad who adored his wonderful grandchildren. We are working with the family to create a “A Book of Memories”, the aim is to capture the indomitable spirit, character and sheer sense of fun that epitomised Stuart. The collection of anecdotes will be passed on to his grandchildren in the future so that they never forget him.

We are inviting all of Stuart’s friends, teammates, and former work colleagues to share their stories and special memories of all the escapades, scrapes, near-misses, exploits, mad-jaunts and adventures that have happened over the years. Do not worry, the children will not read it until they are over 18!

Please send your memory, story, or tribute of Stuart - to exec@staustellrfc.co.uk in advance of the 20th of March so that we can collate the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - not to mention the madcap and the downright crazy on behalf of the family.

There will also be an opportunity to add your tale to the narrative surrounding Stuart’s life during the Memorial Day on Friday 20 March 2026.

Together we can create a legacy that captures the impact Widge has had on all lives.