A CRICKET tournament in West Cumbria has raised over £12,000 for a local hospital.

The Ged Blaney Memorial Day, hosted by Whitehaven Cricket Club for the sixth time, raised £12,500 for the Henderson and Loweswater Suites at West Cumberland Hospital.

More than £7,000 were raised through a JustGiving page set up by Kerry Ann Stewart, 30, who is currently receiving cancer treatment in the Henderson Suite.

Mrs Stewart, from Whitehaven, had been involved in the previous tournaments and her husband Jonathan is a member of the club.

She said: "I knew that we were going to be raising money for Ged Blaney day so I just wanted to kickstart the fundraising, but I didn’t think I’d get as much as I did.

"I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with the response."

Kerry's dad and four others also raised funds through a sponsored head shave.

Mr Blaney, a former Whitehaven rugby league player, died in 2015 aged 49 after a battle with cancer.

He was well-known, having played for both rugby league and union clubs, and coached a Whitehaven Amateurs youth football team.

His son, Luke, plays with the cricket club.

Phil McCormick, one of the organisers, said: "We buy [the hospital] things that they normally wouldn’t get, things like blankets and care packages.I think they’re wanting televisions this year."

You can donate to Kerry Ann Stewarts JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hendersonsuite