A CHALLENGING fundraising marathon over 13 hours saw local police and rugby league legends come face-to-face to raise money for Mahdlo Youth Zone.
Chief Inspector Danny Atherton and Sergeant Damieon Hartley-Pickles BEM joined about 150 others, including international rugby stars Barrie McDermott, Lestyn Harris and Mark Flanagan, for the football meets rugby event on January 15.
A total of 13 teams took part and played 13 games, each an hour long. The first half of the game was football then the teams changed to touch rugby for the second half.
As well as the challenge itself, there were also various fundraising activities throughout the day including a raffle, in aid of the youth zone based on Egerton Street in Oldham.
So far, around £4,000 has been raised for Mahdlo to help them continue to deliver life skills and offer chances to underprivileged young people.
Chief Inspector Atherton and Sergeant Hartley-Pickles are no strangers to fundraising and have raised almost £20,000 in total for Mahdlo by doing similar challenges over the last five years. They were made honorary patrons of the youth zone in 2020.
In December, Sergeant Hartley-Pickles – who is on GMP’s Heywood beat – was recognised for his outstanding charity work in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List after raising more than £50,000 for local charities in the past 10 years.
He said: “The event was challenging, but it was great fun! Danny and I never shy away from a challenge, especially when it involves helping local charities who do incredible work in our communities and need our help to continue to do so.”
Chief Inspector Atherton added: “This was another really tough event, but we pushed through the pain barrier and managed to play 13 hours of sport for a fantastic cause.
“We have seen first-hand how the money raised helps the young people of Oldham, so it’s worth the pain if it helps their futures.
“This is our fourth event of this type and it doesn’t get any easier, but the money we’ve managed to raise over the years makes it all worthwhile.
“We’d like to thank everyone who supported us, especially the players who played for our team throughout this marathon event. There were many sore bodies on Sunday morning, but the ‘never again’ will wear off and we’ll be back for more soon!”
Find out more about Mahdlo online: https://www.mahdloyz.org