THE Isle of Wight NHS Trust Charity Football Team will take on the Isle of Wight Fire Brigade in a charity football match with a difference on Sunday October 27.

Funds from the match will go towards the Wight Brainy Bunch; a charity that was set up in 2015 after Mark Grimes, 38, a serving firefighter, was diagnosed with a brain tumour and found there was little support for families on the Island.

Mark has recently undergone his second six-hour awake brain surgery and is travelling daily to Southampton for intensive radiotherapy.

His fire brigade colleagues are keen to support his charity and didn’t hesitate to agree when the match was proposed.

The NHS team was formed to play its first match against the prison service to help raise funds for a prison officer with motor neurone disease.

This was shortly followed by a match against SANDS, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity.

Paul Hemmett, who set up the charity football team said: “When we formed the NHS team, we wanted to support charities by raising awareness and vital funds for them to continue their work.

“Having been approached by a member of our team with a family tie to this amazing local charity, we looked at how we could help, and the plan for this game started.

“We look forward to playing what I am told is a very strong team, and hope the support enables the Wight Brainy Bunch to continue its valuable work for our local community.”

Mark Augustus, who is running the fire brigade side, said: “We are really proud to support the NHS with this charity event.

“Mark is a close friend and colleague to a lot of us in the fire service and his and Kat’s dedication to the Wight Brainy Bunch has helped to support families across the Island.

“We welcome as many people as possible to support this amazing charity.”

Alongside the football there will be face painting, a pumpkin carving competition, half-time penalty shoot-out for children, a huge raffle, food and drinks.

The match takes place at East Cowes Vics on Sunday, October 27, with a 1pm kick off.