Reuben Virdee: mother thanks 'incredible' community after Maidenhead turns red to remember son

A mother has thanked the Maidenhead community after the town turned red to pay tribute to her late son this week in ‘an incredible way to honour such a special boy’.

Liverpool Football Club jerseys, red balloons and ribbons adorned streets across the town on Monday to commemorate Reuben Virdee, 11, who passed away earlier this month.

Reuben was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer, in 2016. His journey has since been followed by thousands of supporters online, who helped raise £250,000 for specialist treatment in 2019 as part of the ‘Reuben’s Fight’ campaign.

His mother, Jess Virdee, 44, said hundreds of people turned out to line roads in Maidenhead as part of a moving ‘final goodbye’ to her son.

The Craufurd Arms was decked out in Liverpool FC shirts for the procession

“I thought, ‘that’s exactly what he did throughout his life’,” Ms Virdee said.

“He brought people together and was such a light and a positive force.”

She added: “It was more than we could have ever imagined for him, and I thought, ‘what an incredible way to honour such a special boy’.”

A procession of cars carrying family members to a ceremony at GreenAcres Chiltern Park set off from Courthouse Road at around 12pm, passing through Furze Platt Road and Gringer Hill.

Residents from near and far turned out to pay tribute to Liverpool fan Reuben, with the club’s shirts and red balloons hung on fences and outside homes and businesses.

Even a police patrol vehicle on the procession route was adorned with a red ribbon in tribute.

Ms Virdee said: “There wasn’t a gap in the route where it wasn’t decorated. It was amazing.”

“I don’t think he ever really understood the impact he had on people,” she added.

“But when we started his Facebook page all those years ago, when he had his first diagnosis, there were so many people locally and worldwide that were just completely touched by him and his character and his little spirit.”

Reuben pictured at a wedding in September

The colour red was chosen as a theme for the procession due to Reuben’s love of Liverpool Football Club – his favourite player was the side’s Brazilian star goalkeeper Alisson.

A ceremony took place at Chiltern Park, where eulogies were read out, before a wake was held at Khalsa Primary School in Slough.

Ms Virdee said the ceremonies included elements of Reuben’s Sikh heritage. His father, Kulwant, 53, is Sikh. Reuben also had two siblings, Hari, 11, and Jia, three.

The day marked a ‘final goodbye’ for Reuben, Ms Virdee said, after he passed away on December 8, just months after starting his first year at John Hampden Grammar School.

Reuben’s neuroblastoma relapsed in late 2024, and the family were determined to make 2025 a ‘year of living’, Ms Virdee said.

“The last year of his life, we knew that we had to make the most of every day. We made sure that this year was jam-packed full of fun and memories.”

She added: “[He wanted] so badly just to be normal and live a normal life, and that’s exactly what he did this year.

“We’re so proud of him.”

Ms Virdee said the tributes along the procession route were matched by ‘thousands’ of messages of support online.

“There’s no way I could reach everyone and say thank you, but it really did mean a lot – it really did for all of us.“I know it was a tribute for Reuben, but it was also like wrapping us all up in an incredible community – we’re very grateful.”

Ms Virdee said she and her husband hope to continue fundraising and raising awareness of the support and options available to other parents with children living with cancer.