Pals play game in Mikey’s memory
AGROUP of friends have raised thousands of pounds in memory of a Southport man who died shortly before his 31st birthday.
Chris Gordon and Joe Hallett organised a football match between friends of Mikey Ellis to mark a year since his untimely death.
The former Birkdale High School and KGV college pupil died after a short illness and friends and family were also keen to thank the staff at Queenscourt Hospice, where Mikey was cared for.
After university, Mikey spent time living in London as well as travelling around the world.
On September 30, a team of Mikey’s friends from Southport faced a team of his pals from the South at Ainsdale Sports Club, before a special celebration was held at the same venue.
Through online donations, contributions from players and spectators, as well as a raffle which included prizes such as signed football shirts, more than £5,500 was raised for the hospice.
With further offline donations, this has since been boosted to around £6,500.
Chris said that about 100 people attended the match, something he says highlights the popularity of Liverpool FC fan Mikey.
Speaking after the event, he said: “We’re over the moon with how it went and how much it raised.
“He was a legend of a lad. He loved travelling and visited a lot of places around the world in his short time.
“He was a very, very popular lad – the amount of money raised was testament to that.’’
Chris added: “We just wanted to do something to honour that it had been a year since he had passed and this a good way to bring everyone together and ultimately raise a lot of money for Queenscourt. “They do an amazing job there.” With more than 100 staff, Queenscourt cares for patients with serious illnesses across Southport, Formby and West Lancashire and relies on donations and fundraising to cover more than two-thirds of its annual running costs.
To donate to the cause, visit http:// uk. virginmoneygiving. com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/ showFundraiserProfilePage. action?userUrl=MikeyEllis