Rochdale firefighter organises charity football match for 5th anniversary of Manchester Arena attack

The event has been organised by former police officer Aaron Lee (right) and local business owner Paul Corrigan (left)

A Rochdale firefighter has helped organise a charity football match to honour the victims of the Manchester Arena attack. 

Aaron Lee, who was working as a police officer on the night of the attack, has worked with local business owner Paul Corrigan to attract a number of former footballers and celebrities to play in the match at Manchester City’s academy stadium at 3pm on Sunday 3 April.  

The event, which has been named Manchester Remembers, is commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Manchester bombing and will raise money for five different charities - some of which were set up by families who lost loved ones in May 2017.  

Aaron said: “Since the attack, we’ve raised over £44,000 for charities that directly support the victims’ families and young people across Greater Manchester, and the Manchester Remembers football match is a massive opportunity to try and double that total.  

“What happened on that night shocked not just Manchester but the world. As we approach the five-year anniversary, Paul and I knew we had to do something special and remember those that were so sadly taken from their families, and felt launching a city-wide football game would help us raise funds that could really make a difference.” 

The likes of Paddy McGuinness and Jason Manford are set to feature for the celebrities' team, managed by Joe Royle and Peter Reid, while Sam Allardyce will oversee the football legends side, which will include Paul Merson and Trevor Sinclair.  

Seven thousand tickets are available for the game, with all proceeds going to these five charities:  

• The Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust 
• Liv’s Trust 
• The Megan Hurley Foundation 
• The Remembering Neil Foundation 
• Eilidh’s Trust

Tickets are available to buy at - https://tickets.mancity.com/en-GB/categories/Events