Shropshire Star

Rio Grand! Signed ball raises £220 for children's cancer charity

A football signed by former England captain Rio Ferdinand has raised £220 for a children's cancer charity in Richie Woodhall's latest auction.

Published

The Manchester United ball went under the hammer in aid of The Harry Johnson Trust at Halls auction house in Battlefield, Shrewsbury, yesterday.

The trust was founded by Sally and Stephen Johnson in memory of their son Harry, who died from a rare form of cancer at the age of seven in 2014.

It provides treats and support for children being treated for cancer at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.

Mrs Johnson said she was delighted by the news.

"That's amazing, that's such a lot of money and will make such a lot of difference, it will buy a lot of treats for children on the ward this Christmas," she said.

"We really appreciate the support, and would like to thank Richie, Halls, and of course Rio for signing the ball."

Former world boxing champion Richie, who lives in Telford, asked former United defender Ferdinand to sign the ball while coaching him in his new career as a boxer.

He has raised thousands of pounds for cancer charities over the past two years with a series of auctions in memory of his father Len, who died from prostate cancer in 2015.

Halls waived its usual fee for the auction.