A football tournament for young players aged 16+ from the Lancaster, Heysham and Morecambe areas netted £1,300 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.

The competition was organised by a trio of Lancaster City coaches – Under 23s coach Darren “Macca” McDermott, Under 13s coach Alan “Ginner” Tyson and first team assistant manager Gav Clark.

It was played at Lancaster City’s Giant Axe ground earlier this year.

The trio made the tournament a fundraising event in memory of Darren’s wife Katie, who underwent treatment for secondary breast cancer at Rosemere Cancer Centre, Lancashire and south Cumbria’s regional specialist cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at the Royal Preston Hospital. Katie passed away last New Year’s Eve.

The Lancaster City youth tournament cheque presentation to Rosemere - Alan and Darren at the back with Oliver and Tommy holding the cheque.

placeholder image — The Lancaster City youth tournament cheque presentation to Rosemere - Alan and Darren at the back with Oliver and Tommy holding the cheque.

Alan, whose wife Michelle is also a patient at Rosemere Cancer Centre where she is undergoing treatment for melanoma (skin cancer), Darren and Gav are now planning on making the tournament yearly with 2027’s competition again being played for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.

They have also been given the go ahead to make Lancaster City’s annual festive bottle donation a collection for Rosemere Cancer Foundation for the second successive year.

Players, their families and fans are invited to leave bottles in collection bins at the club’s ground and its training centres the week commencing Monday November 9.

The bottles will be collected by the Rosemere Cancer Foundation, which last year raised £342 by putting gifted bottles into a bottle tombola.

This year’s bottle tombola will be a feature of a Christmas event that will run from 10am to 3pm in Rosemere Cancer Centre’s coffee shop on Wednesday December 2.

Hannah Leahy, fundraising assistant for Rosemere Cancer Foundation, said: “Our thanks to Darren, Alan, Gav and all the players and coaches, who supported the tournament, which raised funds by charging an entry fee to play. We are also very grateful to again be the beneficiary of the bottle donation.

“The bottle tombola was hugely popular at our last year’s Christmas event and will doubtlessly be just as well received this year.”

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and sSouth Cumbria being treated not only at Rosemere Cancer Centre but also at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties, including that the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

The charity funds the latest in cutting-edge equipment, clinical research, staff training and innovative services and initiatives that the NHS cannot afford in order to make patients' cancer journey more effective, comfortable and stress-free.

For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk