Willow Wood Hospice Cup returns

The Willow Wood Hospice Cup will be up for grabs again when Mossley AFC face Droylsden FC in a pre-season friendly.

The local Tameside rivals will meet on Saturday 12th July at Seel Park on Market Street (postcode OL5 OES), with kick-off at 3pm.

The shiny trophy will be presented to the winning team on the pitch at the end of the game.

Admission will be £6 for adults, £4 for concessions, £1 for 12 to 17-year-olds and free for accompanied Under-12s.

There will be collection buckets on the day around the ground, which will help to raise funds for the Hospice.

The match is not only an important part of the teams’ preparations for the 2025/26 campaign but also an opportunity to show their support for Willow Wood, which cares for patients from their local community.

The Willow Wood Hospice Cup was a key feature of the Tameside and Glossop football scene for a number of years.

After a hiatus, it was revived last year by former councillor and Civic Mayor of Tameside, Brian Wild, and fellow long-time supporter of the Hospice, Chris Smith.

Mossley AFC beat Glossop North End AFC 2-0 at the Asgard Engineering Stadium, so now it’s their turn to host the occasion.

Brian, who is a patron of the Hospice, said: “We’re delighted that the Willow Wood Hospice Cup is back for the second successive year and, after Mossley’s victory last year, they will be looking to win the trophy again.

“The match is a brilliant way to bring the community together and support Willow Wood. Please come along to the game if you can and look out for the collection buckets. 

Every penny you can give will be greatly appreciated and help make a difference to patients cared for by the Hospice. Willow Wood Hospice, based in Ashton-under-Lyne, provides specialist, compassionate and dignified care to patients with any life-limiting illness from Tameside and Glossop and those closest to them.

It costs the Hospice around £10,000 a day to keep providing its vital services – 70 per cent of which are provided by its Community Services team at the Hospice and in a patient’s own home.

Willow Wood only receives 24 per cent of its annual income from the government – the remaining 76 per cent must be raised through the generosity of the local community through donations, organising or supporting fundraising events, donating or buying goods in the Hospice’s eight charity shops, or playing the weekly lottery.