AN eighth football tournament in memory of young Wirral cancer victim Elliot Wild has raised a record-breaking amount for Claire House.

A total of 152 teams, featuring 1,450 children, took part in the Claire House Cup at Wirral Rugby Club last Saturday and Sunday, raising £34,030 for the hospice.

The annual event is organised by Jackie Wild in memory of her son Elliot who sadly lost his brave battle against cancer in 2011.

Jackie said: “We as a family are completely blown away by the record amount raised over the weekend.

“It was great to see so many kids having a fantastic time playing football whilst helping children less fortunate than themselves, it was a sight to behold.

“We cannot believe that there are still over 200 families Claire House is currently not reaching.

“As a family, we dread to think that could have been us in our darkest hour in Elliot’s final days.

“Because of this, we are driven to help Claire House raise vital funds in memory of our handsome son Elliot.”

Along with Jackie and her family, the Claire House Cup weekends are supported by volunteers and sponsors.

For the fourth year running, B&M Waste Services chose to sponsor the tournament, with Neston Building Supplies once again sponsoring the trophies. B&M managing director Neil Curtis said: “We were incredibly proud to sponsor the Claire House Cup once again.

“Attending the weekend with my son’s football team allowed me to see first-hand how well organised and supported the event was by Jackie, the Claire House team and volunteers.

“B&M are longstanding sponsors of the charity and it has been outstanding to see the Claire House Cup grow every year, raising a record-breaking £34,020 this year.

“Congratulations to all involved in raising such a fantastic amount of money in memory of Elliot Wild.”

Jackie added: “We want to say a heartfelt thanks to all of the JM Ret team and Ray Redmond from Everton FC for pulling the tournament together and to our wonderful sponsors.

“With a special thank you to our headline sponsors B&M Waste Services, all of the supporters and most of all, the 1,450 kids that played at the weekend. For us, there is no better legacy to our football mad boy than the Claire House Cup.”

Jessica Campbell from Claire House said: “Jackie and her family as well as all the volunteers work so hard to make sure that it’s an amazing weekend for everyone involved.

“We’d like to say a massive thank you to each of them for their amazing support and continued fundraising for Claire House.

“They truly are an inspiration.”

The cash from this year’s tournament brings the total amount raised for the hospice to nearly £300,000 since the event started in 2011.

Elliot was first diagnosed with leukaemia in 2009 after his mother noticed he had become lethargic.

Once diagnosed, he was quickly operated on.

But after more than a year of remission with regular treatment and check-ups, doctors discovered in 2010 that the cancer had come back stronger than ever.

Elliot was a keen Liverpool FC supporter and the club took him to their hearts.

Elliot went to the LFC TV studios with Jackie to appeal for supporters to register with the Anthony Nolan charity in the hope that one fan may prove a match for the youngster and help save his life.