Former football star and manager Iain Dowie kicked off the launch of the Pendleside Jingle Bell Jog which hopes to raise thousands of pounds for Pendleside Hospice.

Iain, who played for Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Ham United in the Premier League and went on to manage a handful of Football League clubs as well as winning 59 caps for Northern Ireland, is now business director at Alexander Grace Law.

The legal services company is sponsoring the first Jingle Bell Jog which takes place at Alkincoats Park, Colne, on December 5.

Iain was joined by his colleagues from Alexander Grace when the sponsorship was announced at the hospice.