A football match organised by two colleagues in aid of a cancer charity has smashed its £2,000 target and has officially become an annual event.
Adam Broadley, 34, a Patient Flow North Co-ordinator for Patient Transport Services (PTS), and Rebecca West, a patient care assistant for the PTS based in Heanor, organised the match to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Charity after a mutual friend lost both his parents to the disease.
But the Peter West Memorial Trophy football match raised another £3,000 on Saturday thanks to the support of friends and EMAS colleagues who came to the event.
Adam, who regularly transports cancer patients to chemotherapy appointments in PTS, said he had been blown away by the response and is delighted the money will be able to make such a difference to people’s lives.
He said: “At the start of planning this year’s match we were quietly confident of raising around £2000 but the generosity of the people involved blew us away, we’re currently at £3000 and the Just Giving page is still open so it could increase.
“After finding out in the last few weeks that a close friend has been diagnosed with cancer, it’s really brought it home to me just what it means to have the Macmillan Cancer Support around at a time like this, they offer a wide range of help and care and it really does make a difference to people’s lives.
“Peter West understood this and that’s why he worked so tirelessly to raise money, hopefully we’re doing him proud by continuing his legacy.”
Peter West was Rebecca’s father in law, and her husband John is Adam’s best friend. Sadly, Peter West died from lymphoma four years ago, and John also lost his mother when he was 19. Peter spent much of his later life raising money for Macmillan Cancer Care through raffles and auctions and so his son has continued raising funds for the charity.
The debut football match last year raised £3,000, which means the charity event has raised £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Care in just two years.
Once again, The Rest of the World team beat the Butlins Allstars 3-0, having won on the same goal difference last year when the Butlins Allstars lost 4-1.
The two teams were made up of Adam and Jon’s friends from Butlins where they worked together as teenagers, versus Adam’s friends from Yorkshire where he grew up. The other two friends who helped them organise the event are Richard Keeling and Adam’s brother Rik.
Plans are already underway for next year’s Peter West Memorial Trophy charity event, but Adam has promised it won’t be a conventional football match and will be more of a challenge for both teams.
Anyone who was unable to attend the match but would still like to donate to the fund can do so by visiting the Just Giving page