A five-a-side football tournament has helped raise hundreds of pounds in memory of a much-loved grandfather.

Lewis Earle, who worked as a street warden in Great Yarmouth for more than 20 years, passed away on October 26, 2020, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

A familiar face to many in Gorleston and Great Yarmouth, Mr Earle had been diagnosed just a month earlier and was cared for by St Elizabeth Hospice and East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH) at Beccles Hospital.

His wife Edwina Earle has since raised more than £1,000 for the hospice and Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund through a number of events, including coffee mornings and a tomobla.

She said: "The support from the hospice team meant the world to Lewis. He said he felt safe under their care, which was so important to us as a family.

"Lewis went into hospital on 8th October and had one session of chemotherapy.

“It was heart-breaking to watch him go through that but once he was under the care of the hospice we felt reassured as a family, during an extremely difficult time.

“They allowed us to spend as much time with him as we wanted and the nurses were always offering us cups of tea or lending an ear to hear any questions we had.

"Nothing was ever too much to ask, they were just fantastic.

"They treated Lewis as a person and not as a patient. Our grandson was even able to spend time in the peaceful garden, opening his birthday presents in front of us, which was so special as Lewis was such a family man.

"We just wanted to give back to the hospice and I never want to stop supporting them.

"If we raised £1 million it would still not be enough to show them how much we appreciate their care.

"On behalf of my family, I want to thank all of our fantastic friends, as well as the local businesses and shops, who have been so generous with their support.

"It has been so brilliant to see and we look forward to continuing to raise more funds for the hospice and their fantastic work in Great Yarmouth and Waveney."

Partnership

Mr and Mrs Earle, and their family, are one of more than 2,700 patients and their families in Great Yarmouth and Waveney to be supported by the free specialist palliative care provided by the joint partnership between St Elizabeth Hospice and ECCH since its launch in April 2019.

Lesley Rawlinson, community and partnerships fundraiser for St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “Thank you so much to Edwina for her fantastic work in raising such a brilliant amount in support of our services in Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

“Every penny really will make a difference, as we continue to work alongside ECCH in evolving our services to support more people in the communities of Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

“We look forward to seeing Edwina’s fundraising journey continue and will support her every step of the way, she is just brilliant."