AFTER a two-year break due to Covid-19 restrictions, a memorial football tournament remembering popular footballer Olly Wilkes is to take place this weekend.

The third annual Olly Wilkes Memorial Football Tournament is taking place at Thorns Collegiate Academy, Quarry Bank, on Saturday June 25.

A whopping 24 adult teams and 27 children’s teams will be playing in the event, which will run from 9.30am to 3pm.

Big-hearted businesses and individuals have donated almost £2,000 in cash and a raft of prizes for the event which will include a tombola, plus an auction and grand raffle at The Raven pub from 7pm.

Money raised from the event will be donated to MDS UK which helps patients suffering from rare blood cancer Myelodysplastic Syndrome which tournament organiser Simon has been battling since 2013.

Funds will also be given to the Lily Mae Foundation, which supports parents who have lost a baby to stillbirth or to neonatal death, and a donation will also be made to Withymoor Colts FC.

Simon told the News the response to the event has been “incredible” and he’s hoping it will be the biggest and best to date.

Representatives from the Anthony Nolan charity will also be swabbing footballers and visitors to get them signed up to the stem cell register to help save the lives of people with blood disorders in need of a transplant.

To date, three people have been selected as a match – having signed up at Simon’s charity events.

The first was Matt Beveridge who signed up at one of Simon’s fundraising events in 2017, followed by Sam Astley who was among 52 people who signed up at the first tournament remembering “Our Olly” in 2018 and who gave up tickets to see England play in the Euro 2020 semi to donate stem cells and bone marrow.

More recently Casey Mulhall, who also signed up at the 2018 event, was selected as a match and he is waiting to donate cells soon.

Simon hopes many more people will turn out on Saturday to sign up to the register.

People can find out more about becoming a donor on the Anthony Nolan charity website.

Members of the public are invited to attend the free event to watch the games or try out for a prize in the tombola or raffle.