An annual six-a-side football tournament, held in memory of a former Mackley employee, has this year raised more than £3k for the St Barnabas Hospice.
The Ivan Mitchell Memorial Trophy was contested at Steyning Town FC last Sunday (30 April), and raised a total of £3,089 for the local charity.
The event was organised by Matt Bailey with the help of colleagues, Viv Bagwell, Karen Andrews, Steph Gretton and Lawrence Rogers, in memory of Ivan Mitchell, who sadly passed away in July 2007 at the age of 32.
This year’s tournament also featured a player of the tournament trophy, named after another former Mackley employee, Vic Gretton Snr, who passed away in June 2012.
Both Vic and Ivan were supported by St Barnabas, a Worthing-based hospice which provides palliative care to adults with advanced progressive life-limiting illnesses.
The tournament itself featured 16 teams and was eventually won by the Wildcats, who beat Norfolk En-Chance 2-1 in the final – while the Vic Gretton Snr trophy was won by Dave O’Callaghan.
Matt Bailey said: “Both Vic and Ivan passed away at St Barnabas Hospice and we’re proud to have raised money for such a worthwhile charity. This figure was made up of half from the day itself, while the other half was very kindly donated by Santander as part of their match donation scheme.
“It was an excellent day all round and after the game we had a raffle with around 25 prizes generously donated by businesses in and around the Sussex area.
“We would also like to say a huge thanks to Steyning Town FC for all their help on the day and for giving us the facilities free of charge.
“We have already pencilled the date in the diary again for next year as it was such a success.”
04 May 2017
