A group of ex-professional footballers who joined together to face players representing the family of Gwent cancer patient Des Beresford scored big time for St David’s Hospice Care.

The football match, which included Des’s nephew ITV celebrity weather presenter, Alex Beresford, cousin of event organiser, Natalie Williams, netted £10,200 for the Gwent-based charity.

As well as the charity football match, money was also raised through a raffle.

A staggering 1,000 people attended the charity match which saw former Bristol Rovers, Bristol City and Exeter City players pull their boots and face keen amateurs under the keen eye of coach for the day ex Tottenham Hotspur and England central defender Ledley King.

Des Beresford, aged 59, of Mon Bank, Newport, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer six months ago and given just 48 hours to live, has been cared for by Newport-based St David’s Hospice Care.

Football fan Des, who kicked off the game, praised his relatives, friends, supporters and the footballers, for staging the unique fundraising event. Des said: “This has been a fantastic event. I can’t thank all my relatives, friends and supporters enough for arranging this really great day.

“It’s really really dear to me to support the charity St David’s Hospice Care who have been so fantastic; they gave me a second chance of life.”

Spurs ace and England defender Ledley King, nursing a knee injury, said: “It was a no brainer for me to come down and support Des. I would have loved to have played but due to my knee I'm happy to stand on the side lines and be coach. It’s a wonderful event and it’s great that so many players and fans turned out to support Des in this way.”

Natalie Williams described the magnificent care and treatment her dad, Des, had received since being diagnosed.

Natalie said: “We all lived in Bristol all our lives but decided to move to Newport last year. The family moved from our home in Ashton, South Bristol to a new home in Mon Bank, Newport .

“Dad was diagnosed before moving from Bristol but started his treatment of chemotherapy at the Velindre in Cardiff. He was due to start radiotherapy the day after but he took very ill. He spent five days at the Royal Gwent Hospital and then the hospital palliative team contacted St David’s Hospice Care and there was a bed for him. He was being transferred to the hospice to pass away peacefully. After the fantastic care he received from the team at St David’s Hospice Care he began to get stronger and stronger day by day.

“As a thank you to the hospice my uncle Paul, dad’s younger brother, had a thought of a charity football match. We all As family jumped on it and that was the start of it but I didn’t think it would be so big. The amount of kind people out there that donated gifts for both raffle and auction was unbelievable.

“We all had roles to play and I think we did dad really proud. My auntie, Janet, was coordinator of the running of the day and my cousin Ryan was the one promoting with the helping hand of our very own family celebrity ITV weatherman Alex Beresford.”

Skye Lewis, of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “The brilliant support for Des which generated such a fantastic response from his family, friends, supporters and footballers, is really quite humbling. We’re ever so grateful for the money raised which will be used to help fund the work we do throughout the community for our patients and their families.”