‘Heartbroken’ wife of England rugby star Tom Voyce pays devastating tribute after his death
The heartbroken widow of former England rugby star Tom Voyce has spoken out about the overwhelming support they've received since he was swept away while driving across a swollen river. The 43 year old's car was washed away crossing a ford on the River Aln near Alnwick, Northumberland, last weekend during Storm Darragh.
After days of intensive searches, a body was found in the river on Thursday, several hundred metres downstream from the ford. The body has now been officially confirmed to be that of Mr Voyce. His wife Anna has expressed her devastation in a statement, saying: "Absolutely devastated and heartbroken doesn’t even describe how we feel."
"My main focus now is our son Oscar, having done what he asked, ‘find Daddy’."
“All of Tom’s family were involved in the search. I will be forever grateful to my brothers Hugh and Jamie, Aidan Philipson and Garry Whitfield for co-ordinating the search party working alongside the police teams.
“Tom would be blown away by the amount of people that were out there helping. We have all been overwhelmed by the support of friends, many travelling from far afield to help with the search. We are just so lucky to live in such a special community that pulled together to find Tom.”
The family had moved from London to Northumberland in 2019, where Tom had set up a business, Trevow Vegetation Management.
Anna expressed her deep gratitude for the local community's support in the search for her husband. She said: "Tom was fully immersed in Alnwick Rugby Club and was much loved by Oscar’s under sevens team which he coached with gusto, giving back to the game that gave him so much."
"Oscar is immensely proud of his daddy and he was the best father and role model that Oscar could have asked for."
"Tom was proud, and cherished, his rugby memories and as an adopted ‘Northumbrian’ local he leaves a hole in so many of our hearts. With his big warm smile, passion and funny stories he loved nothing better than sitting round a table chatting with family and friends."
The family background was touched upon, noting Mr Voyce's education at Cirencester Agricultural College, his marriage to Anna at Babington House, Somerset in 2015, and his mother Christine's residence in Cornwall.
The family has thanked the police, mountain rescue and all the specialist teams who helped in the search, and they have asked for privacy.
