A CHARITY supporter who has been battling prostate cancer, has been awarded tickets to an AFC Bournemouth match after raising more than £1,400.

Dave Coleman, 54, an IT manager at Twynham School in Christchurch, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2013.

He started his treatment in early December and has been fundraising to help others who are being treated for the same disease ever since.

Dave was one of 350 people who took part in March for Men earlier this month which saw men, women and children running or walking for men’s health at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Dave was presented with his match tickets by AFC Bournemouth player Eunan O’Kane who also took part in the March event.

Dave said: “I saw the poster at the urology clinic and thought what a fantastic event that would raise both money and awareness of prostate cancer. I wanted to get involved so I could give a little back to the hospital for the superb and rapid treatment that I have received so far.

“You often see negative stories about the NHS in the UK but all I have experienced is positive and first class treatment.”

Dave, who lives in Bournemouth, has set himself a total fundraising target of £5,000, which he hopes to meet by taking part in other charity events such as Movember.

Fundraising officer, Barry Wilson, said: “Dave has been a great asset to the charity since he signed up for March for Men. Not only is his fundraising fantastic he also got his family and friends involved in the event and was great at helping with our social media updates on Twitter and Facebook. We can’t thank him enough.”

You can support Dave in his fundraising by visiting www.virginmoneygiving.com/dave coleman146