Free heart screening is a step closer after top names from television battled it out with football legends.
The showbiz 11 and East Anglian Legends took to the pitch at Harwich and Parkeston to raise money for Cardiac Risk in the Young.
Crowds gathered to see names, including Olympic sprinter Iwan Thomas, Jess Conrad, Peter Purves from Blue Peter, and former East Ender Nick Cotton.
The East Anglian Legends team included former Ipswich, Colchester and Norwich players, Kevin Beattie, Jason Dozzell, Paul Goddard, Bryan Gunn, Robert Fleck, Mark Kinsella, Mick Stockwell and Simon Milton.
Proceeds from the event will go towards providing 14 to 35 year-olds free screening to detect possible heart defects.
Organised by Tony Armstrong, the event was the second celebrity charity match in memory of his son, Marcus, who died suddenly from an undetected heart condition two years ago, aged only 28.
On May 10, Hollyoaks soap stars came to the town to take on old and new Harwich and Parkeston players – the event raised more than £5,000 for CRY, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the Alder Hey Imagine Appeal.
Mr Armstrong said: “We had a very good auction after the match, where signed England and Manchester United shirts were donated.
“The crowd was a little disappointing as the sea festival was on the same day, but to book the showbiz 11 you have to book a year in advance.
“I would think we would have raised £3,000 as we got £2,500 from the Hollyoaks, match.
“We will have raised £15,000 by September. We should be in a position to screen up to 300 young people.
“The whole reason behind this is to raise funds in our son’s memory to ensure other parents don’t go through the tragedy we did.”
Other fundraising efforts for the cause have included a charity golf day, which raised £1,500, and a marathon run by Adrian Armstrong, which raised £5,000.
Once enough money is raised, heart screening for youngsters in Harwich and Dovercourt will be set up.
