Firm nets £30,000 for cancer charity

A WARRINGTON company has boosted its charity fundraising to more than £30,000 – with a little help from TV’s Hollyoaks and soccer stars.
Appleton-based supply chain solutions specialist Flextronics staged a charity football match in aid of the Clatterbridge Cancer Charity and the £4,000 it netted raised the total the firm has raised to more than £30,000
Former Everton star Graham Stuart and ex-Premier League referee Mark Halsey joined the Hollyoaks cast in the match.
Hundreds of fans turned up for the game which was the highlight of a 12-month fundraising campaign on behalf of the charity.
Flextronics’ Joe Hitchmough organised the match with the help of Hollyoaks longest serving cast member, Nick Pickard (Tony Hutchinson).
Joe said: “Clatterbridge is a charity that has a lot of personal significance to members of staff here and, as soon as it was confirmed as our Charity of the Year, we pledged that we would do something a little bit different to raise a lot of money. I knew that Nick organised charity matches and thankfully he was very happy to get the cast on board.
“I’d just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part, helped organise or bought a ticket – it all counts and together we’ve raised an incredible amount of money for Clatterbridge.”
Among the goal scorers were Fabrizio Santino (Ziggy Roscoe in the soap) and new cast member Duayne Boachie (Zach Loveday).
Jade Barrett, area fundraising manager at The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, said: “The night was a fantastic success. We have been incredibly lucky to receive support from Flextronics employees for the past 12 months. The £30,000 raised in total has made a huge difference to the lives of patients, helping fund equipment, research and extra support services that would otherwise be unavailable. We cannot thank our friends at Flextronics enough.”
The three mascots were children of Flextronics staff and a cheque was presented by materials handler Dave Edwards’ 11-year-old daughter Lauren, who had raised £545 by being sponsored not to indulge in her favourite treat – Magnum ice-creams!
You can still donate to the cause via JustGiving: www.justgiving.com/hollyoaksvflextronics