A second Family Football Day raising funds for Cancer Charity Sarcoma UK was hailed a great success by family and friends of Melksham man Leigh Gaskin who died aged just 27 in August 2014.
The total raised through the event was £5,700, which included sponsorship for the football day, held at the Melksham Town ground on Sunday 29th May, a performance by local band Port Erin at the King’s Arms on the same evening, a successful auction of donated items and the generous addition of sponsorship money by Mark Taylor for a London to Paris cycle ride held over the same weekend.
The organisers said, “Thanks to excellent Bank Holiday weather the event attracted a large number of people to one of the last football days at the Conigre which was organised to bring together families and friends to enjoy a football related afternoon and to remember Leigh.
“The day included a 6-a-side tournament for local Under 8 teams run in conjunction with Melksham Town Youth, an Ability Counts match run by AFC Melksham and a game played between Leigh’s teammates from youth football – now the Melksham Park Under 29s – and a Melksham Legends team selected by Keith Taylor who managed the boys’ team through until Under 16s.”
Leigh’s parents, Lynn and Kevin Gaskin, explained that the original intention expressed by Leigh’s friends was to play again as a team and as a tribute to a teammate but, due to the generosity of local people and businesses, it has already achieved so much more.
Lynn said that thanks were due to so many people but particularly fellow organisers, Melksham Town, lead sponsor Danny Hood from Audi VW Cars, Townsend Print, the Kings Arms and The Cobblers Bench.
She said, “Everything that was planned came together on the day and while the football was centre stage, I know that people enjoyed the visit of the exotic animals from The Hide in Chippenham and it was great to have the evening event thanks to school friend Reuben Tyghe and his band Port Erin.
“With the funds raised from this event, over £25,000 has now been raised in Leigh’s name for Sarcoma UK which is amazing to us and something that Leigh would be very proud of.”
