On Sunday (12th July 2026), the community of Fairford came together for a game of football, in memory of Doreen Nicholls who passed away in 2024 with Pancreatic Cancer. The charity event in its second year was a family day at Fairford Town FC, raising money and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer UK charity.
Two teams, Nanny D’s Allstars vs NSDL Family XI battled it out on the pitch for the Doreen Nicholls Trophy, but in the end, the winner was the charity, with over £2700 raised, with more still to count.
The charity match was also supported by several businesses, including AM Print & Copy, Hennessy Carpentry & Joinery, AG Plastering and Beavis Carpentry. After the match, everyone converged inside the popular Spikes Cafe to enjoy drinks, food and a raffle supported by dozens of businesses from the surrounding area.
Talking to Craig Parsons, grandson of Doreen Nicholls, and one of the organisers of the charity event said: “Its been an amazing day, we’ve raised over £2700, with more still coming in, surpassing last years fundraising”.
Talking of the future and where Craig wants to take the charity football event, he said: “It would be great to create an annual tournament where multiple teams can compete for the trophy, and even expend it to live music after the football”.
Pancreatic Cancer is widely considered one of the deadliest and most aggressive malignancies. It has the lowest survival rate of all common cancers, with a 5-year survival rate of roughly 10% or less.
While a tumor can take up to 10 to 20 years to form at the cellular level, the “silent” phase lasts until the tumor grows large enough to press on surrounding organs or spread. Because of this, most people have the cancer for months to several years without knowing, only developing noticeable symptoms in the late stages.
Because of this, symptoms often remain vague and easy to ignore.
Entertainment Swindon 
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