McCall, Hendrie, Windass and Beagrie help raise vital funds (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

McCall, Hendrie, Windass and Beagrie help raise vital funds

3:55pm Thursday 8th April 2010 in

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Former Bradford City stars are making a comeback on the pitch at Valley Parade next month.

Stuart McCall, who resigned as manager on February 8, John Hendrie, Dean Windass and Peter Beagrie will be playing for a City old boys team against a cup-winning Co-op side from Lancashire.

Admission to the match, at 3pm on Sunday, May 9, is free and will be part of a day of entertainment at the ground, starting at 1pm, to boost City’s £100,000 Burns Unit Appeal, which is supported by the Telegraph & Argus.

Peter Ryan, the Co-op’s regional operations manager, said: “The Burns Research Unit was set up in the aftermath of the Valley Parade Fire Disaster in 1985, which took 56 lives and injured more than 190 people. It’s vital that we do everything we can do to raise awareness of such a commendable charity.”

The Burns Research Unit at Bradford University receives no public funding.

The Burns Unit appeal will benefit from a multitude of activities and events in the next few weeks, including on Sunday, April 18, a Three Peaks walk organised by Steve Gorringe and Joe Szalkiewicz, of Shipley Bantams Supporters and Travel Club, which they hope will raise £1,000.

Mr Gorringe, a member of the appeal’s fundraising committee, is a former firefighter whose unit was called to Valley Parade 25 years ago when fire broke out in the main stand. He thought his father was at the match. He said: “The first thing I did when we got back to the station at 6.45pm was to ring my father. He said, ‘Oh, I changed my mind and went shopping with your mother’.

‘‘He could have been among what I saw at the back of the main stand.

“I don’t think about it now: that’s my way of dealing with what happened.

“We’ve raised about £300 so far. The appeal has passed the £40,000 mark now.”

e-mail: jim.greenhalf@telegraphandargus.co.uk

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