ORGANISERS of the Graham Edwards Memorial Trophy are determined the 2024 edition of the annual football tournament will be the best yet.

Organisers were left reeling after the Gobowen-based event’s Facebook page was hacked earlier in the year, at the cost of hundreds of followers, photographs and precious memories from past tournaments.

However the adversity has only made organisers all the more determined the 2024 edition will be the best yet.

A spokesman said: “The tournament is celebrating 50 years of raising money for Leukaemia research.

“It really is a fantastic achievement to have kept the tournament going for so long and this has only been possible because of the support and generosity of the public.

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“The committee cannot let this milestone pass without doing something special. The tournament is currently being organised and dates will be announced once agreed with the parish council.

“The village has grown considerably over the last 50 years, the committee are hoping you will come together and support us in all that we do this year. It’s really impossible to fit into one Facebook post the 50 year history of the tournament we have had some really memorable moment’s with so many celebrities helping us raise money.”

The 50th anniversary tournament will be sponsored by the Great Weston Pools which will host a function in the summer and gala in November while an event is also being planned for the village’s Cross Foxes.

Several new members of the committee have also been unveiled with Les and Kaye Hartshorn along with Keith Butterton and Joe Roberts of St Martins.

A spokesman said: “The current committee welcome the extra help and thank the above for their commitment. 

“We are so lucky to have so many other volunteers on match days without them the tournament would be more difficult to organise and we thank all of them for their continued support. 

“The money raised for Leukaemia Research since 1975 is of course down to you the supporters of the tournament and the functions we put on.

“We need a committee to organise things but without people supporting the tournament it would be pointless.” 

Graham Edwards was a local footballer who lost his life to Leukaemia in 1974 when his friends and fellow footballers set up the charity in his name with the first tournament played in 1975 .

As well as the tournament the committee has organised many functions to raise further funds for Leukaemia research.

Sporting legends have been guests at GEM Trophy dinners including Paul Merson, Ray Parlour, Lee Sharpe and Neil Ruddock.

The 2023 tournament raised £8,000 and to date the GEM Trophy and associated events have helped raised £173,000.