WHEN Darren Whittaker lost his long fight for life his family kicked-off a fund raising appeal to help fellow sufferers.

They organised a memorial football match between Darren's former team and Laburnum Rovers' Reserves and split the proceeds between two cancer charities.

Darren's mum and dad, Peter and Lynn, of Weston Street, Atherton, and his fiancee, Vicky Haslam, presented cheques for £1,500 each for lymphoma research at Christie's and to the Lymphoma Association.

Darren, who would have been 24 on Monday, died in July in Christie's, only days after becoming engaged to pharmaceutical assistant Vicky, from Lowton.

Former Hesketh Fletcher and Wigan College student Darren was in his final year of training to become a sports physiotherapist when he was taken ill. He also worked part-time at Somerfield's Tyldesley store.

Mum Lynn said: "We organised the match in November between a reformed 1992 Laburnum Rovers' U14s team in which Darren played and the Reserve side which was a great success.

"We would like to thank everyone who helped to raise the money and we hope to carry on fund raising in some way.

"We would also like to thank Vicky, who is like a daughter-in-law to us, for the lovely photograph album she has put together of their life together."

Darren with fiancee Vicky.

TWO £1,500 cheques are presented to Atherton Cllr Bob Splaine, an avid Christie's fund raiser, left, by Darren's father Peter, and to Phil MacIntyre of the Lymphoma Association by his fiancee Vicky and mum Lynn, watched by members of Darren's family.