A Sleights family are holding a fundraising fun day and barbecue in memory of a man who died from cancer aged just 35.
Nick Gale would have turned 36 on Sunday but he passed away in January two weeks after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
On Saturday, a get together for family, friends and anyone who wants to support the cause will be held at Sleights Cricket Pitch, 2pm to 8pm.
There will be a barbecue, drinks, cake stall, live music from Best Served Cold, a 5-a-side football tournament (all ages and abilities, bouncy castle, tombola and field games.
Nick’s family will be donating all funds raised to Embers – a charity established specifically to provide advice and support to people aged 18-40 who have received a diagnosis of incurable or terminal cancer.
Holly Gale, Nick’s older sister, said: “It was two and a half weeks between diagnosis and death. As a family, we were really lucky to have support financially and emotionally, but there are lots of other people in that situation who don’t have that support.
“While we have been grieving there have been several other people who have reached out to me who have lost a sibling, and this day has gone from there. We were always going to do an event for Nick’s birthday and it was going to be for charity. Embers is northern as well so it is perfect.”
She added the day will be fun, upbeat and positive to reflect Nick’s personality. Since his death, Nick’s partner Alice has given birth to their baby daughter.
Nick’s childhood friend, Jim Roberts, has started the fundraiser via JustGiving.
He said the day will be “loud, warm, a bit daft, and full of the people he cared about” – and the kind of day out Nick himself would have loved.
Jim added: “Behind the jokes, Nick was one of the most genuinely good people you could hope to meet. He measured people by whether they were kind, and he lived by the same standard. He had a knack for spotting when someone wasn’t okay and a way of making things feel lighter again. He showed up for people, again and again, often when they needed it most.”
