A west Suffolk football ground will host a charity football match featuring Ipswich Town legends later this month, as well as a beer festival, live music and youth tournament on the same weekend.

East Anglian Daily Times: John Wark signed photo of him celebrating scoring during the UEFA Cup final.John Wark signed photo of him celebrating scoring during the UEFA Cup final. (Image: Archant)

Plans are in full swing for the Ipswich Town Legends game on Sunday, April 26, at Bury Town’s Ram Meadow ground, which will see a team of former Portman Road players take on fans.

The game, which kicks off at 3pm, is raising money for both West Suffolk Hospital’s Forget-Me-Not Dementia Campaign – which was launched in partnership with the EADT and Mercury newspapers – and the Ipswich Town Academy.

Bury Town will be hosting a beer festival and live music on the Saturday afternoon and from 1pm on the Sunday, with live music up until the start of the Legends game. There will also be a youth football tournament prior to the Legends match.

Dave Gooderham, the hospital’s fundraising manager, said £2,500 had already been raised from the 17 places in the hospital team and four spots alongside the Legends, with the places selling within 20 minutes.

He said: “I think the success of last year had people talking about it. People became aware of the event and realised what a great day it is and an opportunity to play with your heroes.”

He said hopefully the Legends team would include the likes of Kieron Dyer and Titus Bramble.

In the week running up to the game, signed photographs of Ipswich Town from the late 1970s right through to the present day will be auctioned online.

Mr Gooderham said they included a signed photograph of John Wark after scoring during the UEFA Cup final, the club celebrating their play-off victory in 2000 and midfielder Richard Chaplow following Town’s dramatic victory at Watford this season.

Mr Gooderham thanked the EADT for providing the photos from its archive, and also expressed appreciation for the Ipswich Town players who had signed them. There will also be a raffle on the day with some Ipswich Town prizes.

He added: “What’s really nice is we have got little pockets of families who are playing, like a dad and a son, or it was for someone’s 50th birthday present. It should be a really good day.”

Tickets for the Legends match cost £10 for adults and £5 for children. Last year’s event raised more than £6,000 which was split between the Forget-Me-Not campaign – which is now running at about £60,000 – and the academy.

The online auction will run from the evening of April 19 on the hospital charity’s eBay site. For further information visit the hospital charity website, www.wsh.nhs.uk/charity