Fenland footballers charity goal
Wisbech man Justin Cross launched the town’s Macmillan Football Club in January when his father’s cancer diagnosis prompted him to turn his passion for the game into fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Since then the club has held a series of matches, tournaments and events throughout the year, and raised £5,500 for the cause.
Justin, 39, said: “Macmillan FC started earlier this year as a few friends playing football in a field with no facilities. Everybody paid £5 to join and we raised £100 for Macmillan at our first meeting.
“Since then the team has gone from strength to strength. As well as playing our own matches we have joined tournaments and played other teams. We’ve now developed a bit of a fundraising committee which has hosted other events including a prize bingo.
“We presented the money raised this year to Macmillan at our Christmas party which was a great occasion to celebrate how far we’ve come in the past year.”
Justin said he decided to launch the club to give something back to Macmillan, which supported his father following his diagnosis.
He said: “My dad received such fantastic support that I wanted to do something to ensure that other families could benefit from the same level of support my dad had.
“He has improved considerably since starting his treatment last year. Another member of the football club has also recently been treated for cancer which really brings home to the whole team why we do this, and gives us the motivation to carry on.”
He also said the club has got lots in store for the New Year, including more events for the whole family to enjoy.
Jessica Levin, Macmillan’s fundraising manager for Cambridgeshire, said: “Macmillan FC has come such a long way in just a year.
“The club’s success just shows that anybody can fundraise, whatever your interests or hobbies. You don’t have to run a marathon or be a star baker, just getting together with your friends to do something you love can make a huge difference to the lives of people affected by cancer.”
