Sport

Altrincham FC are hosting a celebrity football match to raise money for brave young cancer patient, Rio Spurr

Actors, musicians, celebrities and Alty players are all pulling on their boots to help support the cause.

Danny Jones - 26th November 2022

Altrincham FC are holding a charity football match at their J Davidson Stadium to help raise funds for a young boy’s cancer treatment and some famous faces are set to play their part this February.

Parents Chloe and Thomas Spurr learned of their four-year-old son Rio’s cancer diagnosis earlier this year after a stomach ache that they thought was nothing more than constipation saw the poor little lad become violently ill just days later.

Following a visit to A&E, Rio’s mum and dad were left heartbroken as doctors found a “nasty lump” on his right kidney which turned out to be a Wilms tumour, a very rare type of kidney cancer that only affects around 80 children in the UK every year.

With the help of Altrincham and charity football match organisers Sellebrity Soccer, along with their main sponsor Chris Hamlett, Managing Director of Armstrong Projects Limited, Chloe and Tom are doing their best to try and get him the help he needs.

Having been undergoing chemo and radiotherapy since April, as well as a four-hour surgery to remove the tumour, Chloe and Tom are now looking to try new treatments and clinical trials available overseas.

That’s why this fundraiser is so vital in ensuring this ‘Wilms Warrior’ gets the care he needs. Writing in the description of his GoFundMe, ex-pro father Tom says: “Rio is the most beautiful, courageous and special little boy and he deserves every possible fighting chance of surviving this cruel disease.

“We are SO proud of Rio! Beyond proud of both him and his little brother… They are both remarkable little boys! Rio has been through far too much already and a lot more to come but still, he continues to smile and sing his way through this hideous disease.”

Having heard about this little man’s inspiring battle, dozens of celebrities and notable names including Josh Ritchie, Dean Gaffney and James Arthur, as well as both current and former Alty players, are lacing up their boots to help raise money.

Thanks to the generosity of more than 1,700 incredible donors, the Spurr family have already raised over £78,000 of their £250,000 target and that’s the only goal we care about.

Better still, with ticket sales and concessions on the day, not to mention the chance to meet and greet the players in the VIP lounge before and after the game, the total fundraising amount is only going to get bigger.

These lot are doing Rio Spurr and his family proud and so can you.

Read more:

• Atlas Bar are joining HUMEN’s ‘Pub Pilgrimage’ for men’s mental health
• A seriously impressive next-gen football centre has opened up at TraffordCity
• Local charity wants Mancs to ‘take the plunge’ in a freezing fundraising challenge next year

For those of you who fancy coming to cheer on the celebs and show your support for little Rio on Sunday 12 February, adult tickets are £12, under 18’s just £7 and a VIP spot will cost you just £30.

You can buy tickets HERE and those remaining will also be made available for purchase on the day. Most importantly, all the proceeds will be going towards helping Rio and his family fight this. Entry to the historic Moss Lane ground starts from 3:30pm and kick-off is at 5pm.

Lastly, for anyone who wants to help, you can donate to Rio Spurr’s GoFundMe HERE.

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Featured Image — GoFundMe/Altrincham FC