Ross-on-Wye resident Maggie Bate has been organising a fundraising dinner in memory of her husband, leading football coach, Dick Bate, who died earlier this year from a brain tumour.

Dick was a coach and director of Ross Town FC Ltd when the Club gained the highest status of any football club in the area by winning promotion to The Hellenic League Premier Division.Sadly the club did not accept promotion as the facilities in Ross were not up to standard but Dick Bate, because of his standing in the football world, was able to persuade many of his illustrious acquaintances to be Guests of Honour at Ross Town’s end of season dinners.Now his wife and family have organised an event at the Chase Hotel in Ross to raise funds for the Giles Trust, a fund at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity that supports patients with brain tumours. Maggie said “I am so grateful to everyone at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, especially Consultant, Ismail Ughratdar, who treated Dick. I wanted to find a way to raise some money to support the work they do there for patients with brain tumours. The event is coming together really well and it should be a lovely evening with an element of fun, a night that I think Dick would have approved of”.

The event is being held on Saturday, January 26th and tickets £50 are available from Maggie on 01989 564339.

Dick was involved with the Football Association for many years and worked with clubs such as Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham County, Leeds United but he was also Hereford’s coach in 1995 only leaving the post to work with the England Youth Team.

The night will feature a sporting auction which includes signed football shirts from each premier league club as well as an England 2018 World Cup signed shirt in addition to a unique and exciting visit to St George’s Park National Football Centre at the invitation of Gareth Southgate.

?For more info on the Giles Trust please visit thegilestrust.org/ends