HOYLAND man Matt Newton has organised a charity ice hockey match to help support Sheffield Children's Hospital, which cares for children from the Barnsley district.
It is estimated that almost 200 Barnsley youngsters will have benefited from the services the hospital provides over the Christmas period alone and Matt stepped in to organise the fund raising match to help recognise the benefits the hospital provides for residents in this area.
Monday's match was the fourth organised to help the hospital's charity, with young members of the Sheffield Ice Hockey Academy taking on amateur players in a snowmen versus reindeer match.
All 46 players - who range in age from six to 60 - were on the ice to raise cash for The Children’s Hospital Charity’s National Elf Service Campaign, which runs up to Christmas and encourages everyone to get in the festive spirit and ‘get elfy’ to help the health of local children.
Mr Newton, 35, from Hoyland, said more than £5,000 had been pledged even before the match, taking the total raised over the last four years to a figure in excess of £19,000. "All from doing what we love to do - playing ice hockey.”
Matt came up with the festive ice game with fellow organiser Craig Smith while they were playing in charity ice hockey matches in aid of The Children’s Hospital Charity.
Mr Newton has personal experience of the Children's Hospital's expertise, having been treated there himself as a child and seen his son James, 12, get help from doctors when he developed complications following an appendicitis operation.
“My family know what amazing work its medical teams do,” he said.
The National Elf Service campaign aims to raise the £200,000 needed to bring the charity’s £800,000 SPECT CT scanner appeal to a close. The highly advanced diagnostic device will diagnose children with suspected cancerous tumours, epilepsy, painful injuries or neuro-disabilities.
