It was a night to remember at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster as the Luey Jacob Sharp Foundation held their inaugural charity dinner and raised thousands of pounds for the charity.
The event, which attracted more than 290 guests including a host of sporting stars, raised more than £10,000 for the charity, which was set up byfootballer Billy Sharp and his partner Jade Fair in memory of their son Luey Jacob Sharp.
Scunthorpe manager and assistant manager Brian Laws and Russ Wilcox, James Beattie, a number of Doncaster Rovers players and Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher all showed their support for the charity and attended the special night.
Former England and Southampton striker Matt Le Tissier was the guest speaker and entertained guests with anecdotes about his prolific footballing career.
Billy Sharp said: “Jade and I are so grateful to everyone who attended the event and showed their support for the LJS Foundation. We are overwhelmed that our first dinner for the charity has raised so much money and helped increase awareness ofGastroschisis.
“It was a very emotional night for us and to see so many people backing the Foundation was just fantastic.
“We would like to say a big thank you to Doncaster Rovers for hosting the dinner at the Keepmoat Stadium and to everyone who dug deep and gave so generously.”
Gastroschisis is a condition usually picked up by week 14 in pregnancy and the cause of which is still unknown. The Luey Jacob Sharp Foundation is hoping to raise awareness and fund research into the condition and is also campaigning for care of pregnant mothers carrying babies with the condition.
Guest speaker Matt Le Tissier added: “I was honoured to have been asked by Billy and Jade to be the guest speaker at their special event. The LJS Foundation is a wonderful charity and I am happy to offer my support in any way I can.
“It was great to be back at the Keepmoat Stadium – although I never had the pleasure of playing at the ground I always enjoy coming to the stadium and receive a warm welcome.
“To have raised so much money in one night is testament to people’s generosity to such a worthy cause and Billy and Jade should be very proud for what they have achieved and I wish them and the charity all the best for future fundraising.”