ASHTON United Football Club has organised a dedicated ‘Willow Wood Day’ to support the Hospice.
Their matchday on Saturday, March 29, against Hebburn Town will be turned into a fun day at Hurst Cross with raffles, auctions and activities to enjoy – all while raising vital funds for Willow Wood Hospice.
Volunteers from Willow Wood will also be there with collection buckets and to provide more information about the Hospice to spectators.
Ahead of kick-off at 3pm, the club will open at midday on the day. There will be a darts competition event in the clubhouse and a raffle which will be drawn at half-time – with prizes including a signed Ashton United FC shirt.
There are also three hospitality packages still available for four people at a cost of £120 plus VAT – these include matchday tickets and pie and peas.
The club will be donating all profits from the match to the Hospice based in Ashton-under-Lyne, which provides specialist, compassionate and palliative care to patients from Tameside and Glossop with any life-limiting illness.
The co-chairmen of Ashton United have had a personal connection to the Hospice and wanted to support Willow Wood as part of the club’s ongoing work to support good causes in the community.
A spokesperson for the club said: “Ashton United FC, in conjunction with our charity arm Ashton United in the Community, work with many partners in the Tameside area to support good causes and promote health and wellbeing in our local community.
“Willow Wood Hospice are dependent on fundraising events and donations to survive and therefore we decided we would like to do something special to help.
“We have all been affected by family members requiring care and in fact Johnny Burke, the father/grandfather of our Co-Chairmen David and Jonathan Burke, who incidentally holds the record for the most appearances for Ashton United was recently cared for in Willow Wood before he unfortunately passed away and so this became even more personal for them and the club.
“We hope that by donating all profits from our game against Hebburn Town on Saturday 29th March we can make a real difference.
“We now need the support of local people, whether they support Ashton United or not, to come along to the game, get involved in the things that are going on and make the day a massive success.”
The Hospice says it is grateful for the support of the club, which will help make a difference.
“We would like to thank our friends at Ashton United for dedicating this special matchday to support us,” said Joanne Lees, Willow Wood’s Partnership Development Lead.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for us to help spread the word about what we do and raise awareness about the essential services we provide. We hope as many people as possible can attend and raise vital funds to support hospice care.”
Tickets for the match are £12 for adults, £8 for over-65s, students and concessions, and £1 for under-12s. They can be bought on the gate on the day or online in advance at ashtonunited.co.uk
Anyone interested in the remaining hospitality packages can contact andyc@ashtonunited.co.uk