Rosemere scores with Charity Football Match

We’d like to give ahuge thank you to everyone involved in the charity football match at AFC Darwen, on Friday 16th July – you helped us raise over £4,000!  The match, between a team of former pros v. a “best of local leagues” XI Rosemere team ended 6-1 to the ex-professionals, but we think the 400 spectators, a successful raffle and auction, and the amazing amount raised means the charity was the definite winner. The match, which was sponsored by GreenThumb Blackburn and The Busy Food Co, among other local businesses, was organised by a trio of Rosemere Cancer Foundation supporting football fanatics – Whittle-le-Woods duo chef Ian Crowther, who overcame testicular cancer, and former soldier and landlord of The Dog Inn David Biggs, plus Oswaldtwistle’s Damian Chamberlain, also a former soldier, who’s daughter Ellie overcame blood cancer to receive her all clear in December 2019. Damian, who played for the amateur XI, is the player manager of the Blackburn-based Poppy-Mai FC first team, a club formed in memory of a Blackburn toddler who lost her life to cancer. David, who lost his mum Alison to cancer two years ago, is first team goalkeeping coach and head of player recruitment for Atherton Collieries FC, AFC Darwen’s U18 coach and a scout for West Ham Ladies. On match night, both the former pro team, which had the likes of Brett Ormerod, Stephen Jones, Paul McKenna and Andy Teague on its team sheet, and the amateur XI were led out by Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman and assistant Jimmy Bell. Like all the former pro players, they kindly donated their time in support of Rosemere, as did a number of stars from Darwen School of Music, who provided fantastic pre-match entertainment. Thank you to everyone involved, from the organisers to the players to the supporters, for making this event such a great success, and helping to raise such a wonderful amount in support of cancer projects across the region!  (Photos by Mick Porter Photography)