Posted on: 01 Dec 2021
Nottingham Panthers players and fans have raised a fantastic £5,967 to support cancer care at Nottingham’s hospitals, as part of their Panthers Fight Cancer campaign.
The fundraising initiative took place throughout November, with limited-edition lavender-coloured Panthers jerseys being raffled and sold in order to raise money for Nottingham Hospitals Charity.
The money raised will support cancer care at Nottingham’s NHS hospitals, and help improve the experience of patients being treated for the disease.
The fundraising ended with a special game on Sunday 28th November, against Fife Flyers, where Panthers players wore the lavender jerseys during their warm-up, and used lavender tape on their hockey sticks.
Panthers player Robbie Baillargeon wore his lavender jersey in honour of a friend who recently passed away from leukaemia.
He said: “There are so many people fighting battles against cancer, and to help fight for them and raise money for them is something I think everyone should care about. As a player, it makes a difference to know that we’re playing the game not just for the team, but for those who can’t be there too.
“Unfortunately, the day before I left the USA I found out a friend of mine had passed away from cancer. He had fought leukaemia for six years, had a bone marrow transplant, but then he took a turn for the worse. It was an honour to wear a jersey with his name on it during the game.”
Ice hockey shop Ice Locker, at the Ice Centre in Nottingham, sold replica jerseys and waived their fees to allow Nottingham Hospitals Charity to receive the maximum possible donation.
The fundraising total also included more than £360 raised by eight-year-old Panthers fan Phoebe King, who had 13 inches of her hair cut off to support the Panthers Fight Cancer campaign. Panthers players Brady Norrish and Mathieu Tousignant went along to Phoebe’s big cut and made the first snip of her hair.
He said: “There are so many people fighting battles against cancer, and to help fight for them and raise money for them is something I think everyone should care about. As a player, it makes a difference to know that we’re playing the game not just for the team, but for those who can’t be there too.
“Unfortunately, the day before I left the USA I found out a friend of mine had passed away from cancer. He had fought leukaemia for six years, had a bone marrow transplant, but then he took a turn for the worse. It was an honour to wear a jersey with his name on it during the game.”
Ice hockey shop Ice Locker, at the Ice Centre in Nottingham, sold replica jerseys and waived their fees to allow Nottingham Hospitals Charity to receive the maximum possible donation.
The fundraising total also included more than £360 raised by eight-year-old Panthers fan Phoebe King, who had 13 inches of her hair cut off to support the Panthers Fight Cancer campaign. Panthers players Brady Norrish and Mathieu Tousignant went along to Phoebe’s big cut and made the first snip of her hair.
Barbara Cathcart, Chief Executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, attended the game on Sunday to receive a signed number 45 lavender jersey from Panthers captain Steve Lee, who was sadly unable to play in the match due to injury.
Barbara said: “We are extremely grateful to all the players, staff and fans at Nottingham Panthers who have taken part in Panthers Fight Cancer. The lavender jerseys are a wonderful idea for raising awareness and funds – they look fantastic and my favourite colour too!
“The money raised by the Panthers community will make a meaningful difference to patients at our hospitals, by helping to enhance our cancer care facilities, which is particularly welcome at such a challenging time for our NHS. We are very grateful to everyone who has supported this campaign.”
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Barbara said: “We are extremely grateful to all the players, staff and fans at Nottingham Panthers who have taken part in Panthers Fight Cancer. The lavender jerseys are a wonderful idea for raising awareness and funds – they look fantastic and my favourite colour too!
“The money raised by the Panthers community will make a meaningful difference to patients at our hospitals, by helping to enhance our cancer care facilities, which is particularly welcome at such a challenging time for our NHS. We are very grateful to everyone who has supported this campaign.”