Memory of Hartlepool dad who succumbed to bowel cancer lives on with third annual charity football match

The Steven Wright Memorial Football Match will kick off at 2pm on Saturday, August 24 at Horny Park, in Seaton Carew.

Steven, a keen footballer, died after fighting bowel cancer in 2022 aged just 42.

As in the previous two years, memorial match will see a team of his friends in a Class of 96 take on Steven’s former pub side The Old Fens Bar.

The afternoon will once again raise money for his family and Hartlepool’s Alice House Hospice, which cared for Steven.

His close friend Martyn Gordon, one of the organisers, said: “It’s a really fitting tribute to Steven and really nice that people can remember him doing something that he loved.

“It’s also really nice for his family to see so many people come together to remember him.

"We are really overwhelmed with how successful the events has become. In the last two years we have raised approximately £20,000 to suppprt Alice House, a charity very close to all our hearts, but particularly Steven’s family.”

Steven, from the Fens, was married to Melissa, a nurse, and dad to Lottie, and Finley.

In addition to Saturday’s friendly match, there will also be a junior football tournament, family fun day, charity auction, plus raffles and tombolas.

Everyone is welcome and admission is free. Money will also be raised from collection buckets on the day or people can give via a dedicated JustGiving page.