Ellesmere Port is preparing for its annual charity fundraiser to remember the 96 football fans who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster.

The event is again to take place at The Whitby Sports & Social Club with a great family fun day and night planned for Saturday, April 2.

The day time programme runs from noon to 5pm featuring a charity football match between an Ellesmere Port 96 team and Scottish club Blantyre Celtic, who described the invitation to take part in last year’s fundraiser as ‘probably the greatest honour that we have heard of any amateur club’.

That will kick off at 12.30pm before a packed afternoon with a fun fair, donkey rides, face painting, tombola and a raffle.

A star attraction will be the presence of the FA Cup trophy and there will also be reptiles from 2pm to 4pm, live music from local musicians and much, much more, all for a day time admission of £1 on the door with under 5s free.

Signed shirts up for grabs

The night time entertainment from 7pm features the Chris Kaye Roadshow, Fleetwood Mac tribute act The Chain and The Fabulous 80s Gold.

There will be a raffle and an auction of items including signed Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush shirts and a signed 1989 football.

All monies raised will go to the town’s Endeavour Social Hub, the Women’s Housing Action Group and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Admission on the night, no children, is by ticket only from the sports and social club, priced £10.

A total of 96 Liverpool FC fans lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster in April 1989, including Ellesmere Port resident Jimmy Hennessy.