A CELEBRITY football match featuring a popular YouTube freestyle football and former EastEnders and Love Island stars is kicking off at the beginning of next month near Basingstoke.
Jeremy Lynch, famed for his freestyle football skills as one of the F2Freestylers, is coming to Hartley Wintney Football Club's home ground, the Jubilee Fields Recreation Ground, on Sunday, October 6, as part of the charity event, Sellebrity Soccer.
He will be testing his footballing prowess alongside EastEnders legends Dean Gaffney and Ricky Groves, who played Robbie Jackson and Gary Hobbs in the soap.
Also confirmed to feature are Lee Latchford Evans from Steps, Love Island stars Munveer and Billy Brown plus many more.
READ MORE: PHOTOS: End of an era - Demolition work begins on retail park
Steve Noakes, vice chairman for Hartley Wintney FC, told the Gazette that he is "over the moon" to raise money for the Ollie Young Foundation, a charity set u in the name of a young boy who "loved football."
Steve said: "I'm over the moon to be able to get the community together and help the charity, it's a great cause.
"I'm good friends with the owner of Sellebrity Soccer and they have charities who contact them to arrange matches to fundraise, across all tiers from the Premier League to non-league.
"The Ollie Young Foundation was launched in memory of the brave little boy who lost his fight against an incurable brain tumour one day before his sixth birthday and only twelve weeks after first displaying symptoms. There was no available treatment for Ollie, no cure and no hope.
"The charity is based in Wokingham, so not too far from here, and they contacted Sellebrity Soccer to help find a venue, and we were happy to help."
Ricky Groves, who played Gary Hobbs in EastEnders, said: "I have been a supporter of Sellebrity Soccer for a year and seen the smiles on faces and the difference it makes gives us all a bit of hope in difficult times.
"I am proud to be part of a great celebrity charity match for the Ollie Young Foundation and hopefully raise an incredible amount of not only money, but awareness too.
"I’m semi retired and older than my body thinks - I still think I’m 21 but my legs tell me a different story. The biggest challenge on the pitch is me getting the ball and not playing it to the other team.
"I like the fact that people come to the games and raise money for local causes that would not normally in some cases go to there local team to watch."
The event will be held on SUnday, October 6, at Jubilee Fields Recreation Ground, Hartley Wintney.
Readers can purchase tickets by visiting https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celebrity-charity-football-match-at-hartley-witney-fc-tickets-1008181617357?aff=oddtdtcreator
Readers can find out more about the Ollie Young Foundation by visiting: https://www.ollieyoungfoundation.org/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here