John Wake from Waterlooville is helping fundraise for families effected by cancer with a charity football tournament and fundraising day.

Friends Fighting Cancer

He has submitted a team to the charity, Friends Fighting Cancer (FFC), and is competing in its annual charity Football for Cancer tournament in honour of his late nan, Olive Rush.

A fitting tribute to Olive

The 29-year-old, who is a Lead Air Hygiene Engineer at air filter manufacturing and services company, Jasun Envirocare, said: “When my nan was diagnosed with cancer, she received some fantastic help from Friends Fighting Cancer, who enabled her to commute to appointments and treatments, which would otherwise have put great financial strain on her and the rest of the family.

“My cousin Alex and I have decided to raise money for FFC in our nan’s name, which seems a fitting tribute as Olive dedicated more than 50 years of her life to charitable work. We’re very grateful that Jasun has agreed to sponsor our team and offered their support throughout.”

Team Olive Rush

Team Olive Rush will be playing its next game on Sunday, April 9 at West Leigh Park at 12noon, followed by its final game of the tournament on Sunday, April 30 at AFC Portchester.

Fundraising Day to honour Olive

John is also organising a fundraising day to honour Olive, on July 1 at the Centurion pub, Crookhorn from 12noon. There will be a variety of activities from a bouncy castle, face painting, a raffle, carnival games and an ice-cream van followed by a live band in the evening.

A worthy cause 

Friends Fighting Cancer is a non-profit organisation that hosts fundraising activities to benefit families. It also establishes communities of participants, sponsors, and supporters who can partake in its events and promote awareness of FFC.

Since 2008, it has hosted multiple football tournaments, one-off matches, raffles, bucket collections, walking events, boxing events, skydives, darts tournaments, and more.