Sky Blues invite charity event guests to League One clash with Yeovil Town as part of fundraiser
A charity evening at the Ricoh Arena in memory of mum-of-three and 800m Coventry Godiva runner Lesley Bates has sold its entire 1,000 ticket allocation to raise money for four charities.
Former boxing champions Ricky Hatton and Matthew Hatton will be guests at the Remembering Lesley event in the E.ON Lounge on Saturday, September 13 from 6pm.
Forty-year-old Lesley, mum to Carly (14), Alfie (13) and Holly (10), lost her eight-month battle against bowel cancer on September 27 last year.
All the money raised from Remembering Lesley will be split between Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Myton Hospice and Cancer Research UK.
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire’s Trish Adudu will compère the evening which will feature live music from The Swains and Front Row plus performances from Britain’s Got Talent Kombat Breakers, Tile Hill rapper Afrojosh, Celtica Irish Dance Troupe, acoustic singer/songwriter Kane Collins and UKA Professional dancer teacher Cat Cooper.
Guests will be able to use their evening tickets to watch Coventry City’s match against Yeovil Town for free earlier in the afternoon as part of the Sky Blues’ commitment to ensuring the event is a huge success.
Former Coventry City players David Busst, Micky Gynn and other members of the Sky Blues’ 1987 FA Cup winning squad are also coming along to the sell-out evening.
A football match, which had been arranged as part of the Remembering Lesley fundraising campaign between ex-Coventry City players and local amateurs which was originally due to take place in the stadium bowl, has been re-arranged for Sunday, December 21 following the club’s return to the Ricoh Arena.
Lesley’s husband Wayne, who has organised the evening, said: “So much hard work has been put into this event over the last 11 months, all in the aid of a great cause and really important to myself was wanting to make my wife and kids proud.
“Lesley Mallows Bates was a true fighter and we are “gonna rock the Ricoh” in style for Lesley and her chosen charities.
“I can only hope that Lesley is looking down to see what we are trying to achieve for her and our three fantastic kids.”
Liz Cooper, marketing director at the Ricoh Arena, said the evening was a fantastic way to remember Lesley.
“It promises to be a really entertaining evening which will raise funds for four charities that were all chosen by Lesley since they had supported her throughout her battle against cancer,” she said.
“To have sold all the 1,000 tickets and to have a waiting list underlines just what a wonderful person she was and this will be a perfect way to celebrate her life.”
Mark Hornby, of Coventry City Football Club, said: “When we found out that part of the event was being moved to another date to accommodate our fixture against Yeovil, we wanted to do everything we could to help.
“We worked with staff at the Ricoh Arena and the family and we decided to offer everyone with tickets for the Remembering Lesley charity event free entrance to our match against Yeovil.
“We hope everyone has a great day and wish them all the very best with their fundraising efforts.” Donations can be made viahttp://goo.gl/UJ3oGR