Charity Football Match in Memory of Andrew Grounds

Willowbrook Champion, Luke Grounds, has organised a charity football match in memory of his Dad, who sadly lost his battle to cancer in 2009.

At Willowbrook Hospice, we rely on volunteers to help support our charity to raise vital funds. Luke became a volunteer, and then a champion in 2022 to give back to his local community in gratitude for the care his Dad was given when he needed it the most.

A Willowbrook Champion is a volunteer and ambassador for our Hospice. They attend events, promote our charity and share wonderful stories about the amazing work that we do. They connect with the local community and encourage and motivate others to do the same, based on their own experiences.

Luke said “Like with all my fundraising, my main goal is to raise as much money as possible for a charity close to my heart. Willowbrook Hospice gave me and my family precious time with my Dad before he lost his life to cancer. 

For a number of years, my dream has been to organise a charity football match in aid of Willowbrook in memory of my Dad. After speaking to Steve Leather, club Chairman of St Helens FC, he put me in touch with Dan Ferguson, the founding member of the North West Community Stars Football Club.

The North West Community Football Stars are more than just a football club. They help communities across the UK to raise money for those who are in need.

Following meetings with Steve and Dan, I am really pleased my dream will be coming true, between us we have organised a charity football match which will take place on Sunday 3^rd September.

FC Willowbrook St Helens will play North West Community All Stars, all money raised from the match will be donated to Willowbrook Hospice.

Not only will we raise awareness for the fantastic work that Willowbrook do, I am hopeful that this event will give to our town and the people within it. We have had some fantastic businesses support the match by sponsoring or funding items such as the trophy and medals. We are really thankful to everyone who has come on board to help us make this a successful event.”

Suzanne Davies, Fundraising Manager said, “I was really happy to hear that one of Luke’s ambitions for our hospice is finally becoming a reality. Luke is a real asset to our Volunteering team, we are really grateful for the time he devotes to our charity and the passion that he has for the work that we do. We are looking forward to the football match and hope that as many people of St Helens can support this event as possible.”

To find out more about the football match, please follow the link here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092248038934

If you are interested in becoming a Willowbrook Volunteer or Champion, please contact our Volunteer Hub by email: help@willowbrookhospice.org.uk or call 01744 453798.