A CHARITY football match featuring music and sports stars due to have been held in North Yorkshire in April has been called off over coronavirus fears.

The match, organised by Bedale AFC and Heck Food Ltd, had been scheduled for Sunday, April 5, at Bedale Sports Club to raise money for prostate cancer in memory of Steve Garbett, the Halcyon Trust for Steve Walsh who requires ongoing medical and physiotherapy support and to assist local lad Phil ‘Tommo’ Thompson who is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.

Organiser Martyn Coombs said: “This was not a decision we have taken lightly and at our meeting on Monday, it was unanimously agreed it would be foolhardy to proceed when we are all unsure about the implications of the Covid-19 virus.

"The UK Chief Medical Officers have already raised the risk to the public from low to moderate and the situation is changing on a daily basis.

"We took advice from the NHS representative at the meeting and decided, a delay was the only option, especially with so many of the celebrities travelling long distances to be with us and the possibility of further government decisions about large scale public gatherings."

The celebrity football team, organised by Simon Grayson, was to have included, among others, Colson Smith who plays Craig in Coronation Street, cricketers Steve Harmison and Ryan Sidebottom, musicians Matt Bowman and Ryan Wilson of the Pigeon Detectives, Simon Rix of the Kaiser Chiefs, Chris Edwards of Kasabian, as well as a host of former football and rugby players, plus boxer Josh Warrington, the IBF Featherweight World Champion and the former WBC International European, British and Commonwealth Featherweight Champion.

Mr Grayson said: "Once the country returns to normal after the coronavirus, this game will definitely go ahead so we can raise money to support these very worthwhile causes.

"I am sure a lot of people will be disappointed, but we will be back, bigger and better as soon as it is safe to do so. We have only pressed the pause button, not the stop button."