Charity football match in aid of battling Bradley needs your support

From left to right: Carl Ferguson, Charlie Bruce, Kieran Purvis, David Scattergood who are taking part in a charity football match for Bradley Lowery.

A group of 28 lads aged 17 to 21 will hold an 11-a-side charity match tomorrow in the hope of raising as much as possible for the little fighter.

Little Bradley took centre stage when he led his beloved team onto the pitch as mascot at the Stadium of Light ahead of the game against Everton on Monday.

Everton football club then gave the fundraising campaign a massive boost by donating a whopping £200,000 to the cause.

Organised by friends David Scattergood and Carl Ferguson, the game will take place at East Durham College in Peterlee from 10.30am.

David, 18, from Garside Grove, Peterlee, said they wanted to do something to help after hearing of the five-year-old’s brave battle with cancer neuroblastoma.

He said: “We wanted to do something to get involved and help raise funds.

“Everyone who is taking part in the match has a football background, with most having played for Sunday league teams such as the Shotton Jets, so we just thought the best thing everyone could do to raise funds was play.”

Bradley was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2013, undergoing gruelling chemotherapy and numerous operations.

The initial treatment proved to be a success and the brave youngster was declared to be in remission in 2015.

But sadly, the cancer has returned and Bradley’s family are now trying to raise funds for life-saving treatment in the USA.

They reached their target of £700,000, but more funds are urgently needed to cover extra costs.

The pitch use has been donated free of charge for the 90-minute match, which will see all lads taking part donate £10 each to Bradley’s fight.

The game is open to members of the public to come along and collection buckets will be around the pitch for the crowd to donate.

David added: “The whole community has got involved in helping to raise funds for Bradley.

“So we just want to raise as much as possible for him as everything helps.”

To donate ahead of the match, just text “BRAD02£1” to 70070. Donations can also be made online by visiting: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/bradleysfight