Graham Swarbrick died peacefully with his wife Tonia at his bedside. Family and friends will be wearing blue and white at the funeral on February 24 at Charnock Richard Crematorium. Son Darren said his dad, 67, was fanatical about Rovers. He said: He was a season ticket holder for over 40 years, and rarely missed a match home or away. He had a few favourite Rovers players such as Ronnie Clayton, Colin Hendry, Alan Shearer, Matt Jansen and more recently Danny Graham. He would even go to watch the Under-23s play at Lancashire FA, with his daughter Lisa, and granddaughters Beth and Natasha.
THE mother of an eight-year-old boy who died following a lengthy battle with a brain tumour has paid tribute to him. Baran Akarca died at Derian House Children’s Hospice, having had the rare cancer since he was just two-years-old. He lived in the Morris Green area with mum Annabel, dad Gerrard and two-year-old sister Leyla. Annabel said that despite his condition and disability “he always had a smile on his face”, which helped “give strength to those around him.” She said: “He was diagnosed with the brain tumour just before he was two-years-old, and had treatment in Turkey for a while before we came back to the UK to seek a second opinion.
LANCASHIRE families have raised £12,000 for Derian House Children’s Hospice by turning their homes into festive wonderlands. From Chorley to Morecambe, more than 25 families took part in the hospice’s Deck the Halls event, forming a trail of extravagantly decorated houses in the run up to Christmas. The ‘Highland Drive Elves’ of Buckshaw Village raised more than £500 for the hospice. Head elf Marian Fraser said that when she and her husband Graham started decorating, their neighbours got on board too. “It really cheered everyone up, especially with lockdown,” said Marian. “It’s the first time I’ve been involved with any fundraising like this and I’m amazed at the amount we raised.”
A DARWEN man braved the winter weather to cycle 230 miles from London to Chorley to raise money for a children’s hospice. Ryan Walmsley, 21, who is a community ambassador for Derian House Children’s Hospice, took four days to complete the epic journey to raise money for the good cause – which he dubbed the Tour De Derian. The challenge raised £1,880 for Derian House, a Chorley-based charity which cares for more than 400 children and young people with serious conditions from across the North West, helping them to make the most of every moment. Ryan, a Production Supervisor at BAE Systems, began his mammoth cycle on December 7, starting out from the BBC Broadcasting House in London and arriving back at Derian House Children’s Hospice.