Telford cancer surviver raises hundreds with racketball tournament
Hundreds of pounds was raised for charity at a racketball tournament organised by a cancer survivor.
Engineer Les Bywater, 69, said he wanted to give something back to those that had helped him after he went into remission.
He held the 20-person tournament at Lilleshall National Sports Centre on Saturday, and dozens of people turned out in support of the event.
On top of those competing, dozens more turned out in support of the event, filling the spectators area.
Mr Bywater, who lives in Horsehay, Telford, said more than £808 had been raised across the competition and a raffle, with the money going to Lingen Davies cancer unit at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
Mr Bywater said: "A massive thank you to everybody for taking part. I am absolutely knocked out by the response. Some of the prizes put in for the raffle have been incredible.
"After all the treatment I'd been through I thought how could I give something back? I thought could we carry it off or not, but we managed to carry it off in style."
It was a routine blood test when changing doctors that revealed Mr Bywater had aggressive prostate cancer.
He said he had felt well and was enjoying life – but suddenly everything turned around when he had his results.
He added: "All the staff within Lingen Davies, from reception and admin to nursing staff and radiographers and oncologists, are wonderful. They are kind, patient and nothing is too much trouble. I spent seven and a half weeks travelling to Shrewsbury every day for radiotherapy.
"On February 28 I was given the good news that I have had an excellent response to treatment. As I have always loved racketball, I thought it would be the perfect way to give something back."
