Drivers teamed up to raise thousands for charity in memory of a colleague

Drivers teamed up to raise thousands for charity in memory of a colleague who died of cancer.

Phillip Hayes, who worked for Stagecoach South East in Dover for more than 20 years, lost his battle with prostate cancer last November.  

Bus drivers from depots in Canterbury and Dover took part in a charity football match on September 26 to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK, Breast Cancer Now, and the Viking Day Care Unit at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate. 

Around 250 people turned out to show their support at Deal Town Football Club – helping to raise £2,600 for the three charities.  

The donation will be used to support the work of the prostate cancer charity – which is investing in finding new treatments to provide better outcomes for patients.  

The event, which ran from 12pm to 8pm, also had a raffle, stalls, bouncy castles and face painting. 

Driver Glen Clark, 35, from Deal, organised the fundraiser to raise awareness of prostate cancer – which is the most common cancer in men.  

The dad-of-two said: “Phil had worked for the company for a long time, and we wanted to raise money to help find ways to beat this horrible disease.” 

“We’re over the moon with how much we raised. It was a very successful day, and we raised a lot more than we expected.” 

Mr Hayes was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2018 but it was already too aggressive to treat successfully. 

He joined the company in 1997, where he met his wife Andrea Hayes who works as a driver in Dover.