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Swanley charity football match to honour dad after cancer diagnosis

A charity football match held in honour of a dad diagnosed with terminal cancer has raised more than £1,300 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

More than 100 people were at Green Court Sports Club in Swanley on Saturday as Swanscombe man Daniel Parry led out Allan's Allstars to face Kay FC - while dad Allan Parry looked on from the stands.

Allan, 58, was diagnosed with liver and bowel cancer last year, and while the diagnosis hit him and and his family hard, son Daniel says they are determined to make the best of the situation.

Daniel Parry and his father, Allan Parry at the Allan's Allstars v Kay FC charity football match on behalf of MacMillan Cancer Support. Picture: Tony Jones (11139331)
Daniel Parry and his father, Allan Parry at the Allan's Allstars v Kay FC charity football match on behalf of MacMillan Cancer Support. Picture: Tony Jones (11139331)

"When it all came round it was such a shock," he said. "Macmillan were the ones that stepped in and helped my mum and dad out and showed them all the avenues to go down.

"They're a charitable run organisation and rely on people raising money to pay the nurses to go out and do their work.

"It's affected my dad a lot - he was a car mechanic and ran his own business. Overnight he had to give up work. He's been a mechanic since he left school and he's had his own business for a while, so he's found it hard to walk away.

"He wants to be positive and get on with it. At the moment the medication he's taking and the chemo is working - it's reducing so we're keeping positive."

And he said the match proved to be an entertaining event to remember - even if Daniel's team lost 5-1 to Kay FC, captained by best friend Brodie Vowles - and Allan was also able to watch his son get voted man of the match.

"He loved it," said Daniel. "It was quite emotional. Afterwards he came up to me and put his arm round me and said that was an absolutely smashing day - that it was one of the best things he's had in a while and he was proud."

Also in the crowd was Daniel's wife Sara, son Tommy, and stepson Bradley, 8, who ran his own bucket collection, ending up with £300 - enough to pay for Allan to go on a trip to Waveney Lakes in Norfolk, where he enjoys relaxing with Stephanie.

Further thanks went to nieces Mckenzie and Kelsey Cardy, and Caris Carter who helped out - and Daniel said the final amount raised for Macmillan was likely to be around £2,500.

While the final score wasn't important, Daniel will be hoping for a different result if they organise a rematch - but he was nevertheless pleased with his own man of the match performance.

"If it wasn't for me it would have been about 20-0," he joked. "It ended up 5-1 to Kay FC, but the score didn't matter.

"Everyone enjoyed it and everyone put their hand in their pocket - everyone knew what the day was about.

"It's something we're looking to do every year now."

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