Penwortham football tournament honours Sam Pegram

A Penwortham high school football tournament honouring the late Sam Pegram has raised £1,751.97 for two dedicated charities.

Sam Pegram, 25, from Penwortham, and fellow UK nationals Joanna Toole, 36, from Exmouth and Oliver Vick, 45, were among 157 passengers and crew killed when flight ET302 crashed on 10 March 2019, six minutes after the 737 Max aircraft took off from Addis Ababa, en route to Nairobi in Kenya.

The Penwortham Priory Academy tournament raised funds through team fees, cake sales, and a raffle with prizes that included a signed PNEFC football, silver bracelets and vouchers from local vendors on Sunday, 21 August, from 11am to 5pm.

The winning team on the day (PeleGL) won by sudden death penalties, with team captain Jacob Bretherton scoring the winning goal.

Jacob said: “It’s a great feeling taking part in such a well-run event for a cause close to everyone’s hearts. Winning is just the added bonus!

“Hopefully, it’s a yearly occurrence as it brought a load of people together to enjoy the game of football and keep Sam’s name alive.

“Thank you to the Pegrams for all they did that day and to everyone who donated. See you all next year to retain the title.”

Sam’s Legacy welcomed over 100 people to the event at Penwortham Priory Academy, which Sam, his brother Tom and his mother Deborah all attended.

Sam’s Legacy plans to build and expand on the tournament and make it an annual event, recruiting a ‘fantastic army of volunteers’.

Tom Pegram, Sam’s brother, said: “However, the day was not just about raising funds. It was to keep Sam’s name alive, his family and friends alike, sharing old memories and creating new ones.

“New friendships were made, and old ones rekindled. It truly was a day that Sam would have loved. Our ambitious plan of building a centre in Jordan for refugees and the community to use is something we look towards in the future.”

The charity will send the funds to Generations for Peace, an agency Sam worked for, which undertakes work in underprivileged communities, and to Reclaim Childhood, an agency undertaking work to support the less fortunate and offering children the chance to learn through sport and play.

Follow @_sams_legacy on Instagram and Sam Pegram Humanitarian Fund on Facebook for updates.

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