Fundraisers from Ellesmere Port braved Saturday’s downpour to raise funds in memory of those who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster almost 27 years ago.
Town mayor Lynn Clare released 96 red balloons from Whitby Sports and Social Club to mark each of the victims, including that of Ellesmere Port resident Jimmy Hennessy.
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A charity football match between the Ellesmere Port 96 team and Blantyre Celtic was won by the host team 4-1 and children enjoyed making friends of the slithery kind from Reef’s Reptiles.
Taking shelter indoors, the crowd enjoyed entertainment from the Neston Strummers ukelele band while others, including Ellemere Port & Neston Labour MP Justin Madders and Sutton councillor Paul Donovan, posed for photographs with the FA Cup.
Night time entertainment from 7pm featured the Chris Kaye Roadshow, Fleetwood Mac tribute act The Chain and The Fabulous 80s Gold.
A raffle and an auction of items, including signed Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush shirts and a signed 1989 football, helped add to the charity pot.
The money raised this year will be split between WHAG (Women’s Housing Action Group), The Endeavour Social Hub and Macmillan Nurses.
The Hillsborough disaster, which caused the deaths of 96 people and injured 766 others, at a football match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, happened on April 15, 1989.
