Police on the ball to help brave youngster (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Police on the ball to help brave youngster

10:53am Tuesday 9th October 2012 in News

POLICE officers swapped the control room for the football pitch at the weekend as they took part in a charity tournament to raise money for a cause close to a colleague’s heart.

Six teams, five from Cleveland Police and one from Barclaycard’s offices in Thornaby, competed against each other in the tournament, in aid of Hope for Holly, at the Herlingshaw Centre in Normanby Road, Middlesbrough, on Saturday.

Neighbourhood police officer Andy Gowland and his wife Lucy, a teacher at Acklam Grange School, set up the charity after their daughter Holly was diagnosed with leukaemia just a week before her fourth birthday in June.

She is currently undergoing “maintenance” treatment and is expected to start an eight-week course of more intensive chemotherapy later this year, part of an overall two-year chemotherapy plan.

Money raised from the tournament will go towards buying toys and 3-D televisions for the children’s cancer ward at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, where Holly is being treated, and towards Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

Mr Gowland said: “My cousin and a colleague organised the tournament and fun day and it was a good day. I’m aching a bit today though as I haven’t played for a while.”