ALMOST £2,000 was raised by two local football teams and supporters for a 12-year-old cancer survivor.

Oldham GPO Veterans and Swan FC played against each other on Tuesday night in a charity football game to raise cash for Ruby Tanswell.

The youngster has a wish to go to Disneyland Florida after being left with ‘poor mental health’ after battling cancer most of her life.

The footie match was arranged by Aaron Mattinson who runs Swan FC and Dan Wyke of Oldham GPO at Failsworth Academy.

Aaron’s team won 3 - 4.

He said: “Ruby’s story has touched the hearts of people across Oldham and she deserves to have the holiday of a lifetime to enjoy herself and bring a smile to her face. We raised £1,900 and are grateful to everyone who got involved and donated.”

Ruby’s mum Adelle Wright said: “It was a brilliant night. The Swans gave Ruby their winning trophy which was so kind of them. There was lots of tears when Ruby’s song was played which she wrote about her journey fighting cancer.

“The Oldham team were really lovely and The Swans were their usual selves, absolutely amazing . I can’t thank everyone enough.”

Ruby was first diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when she was just 14 months old.

She had to have nine cycles of chemotherapy, seven surgeries and then went to Jacksonville, Florida for proton beam therapy, where she had 28 sessions over seven weeks but never got the chance to visit Disneyland.”

After nine years of being cancer free the disease returned when she was ten and she had to undergo more gruelling surgery.

Adelle added: “Ruby has been through so much in such a a short lifetime. In 2020 our beautiful baby girl was diagnosed for the second time with another very rare form of cancer in her sternum, ribs and cartilage. She had to undergo a massive seven hour operation to remove three quarters of her breast bone, parts of her ribs and cartilage. Ruby needed to have skin grafts, muscles and tissues removed from her back and put in to her chest area. Her mental health has took a massive decline. She sometimes she doesn’t want to live anymore which is tearing us apart. The trip to Disney would be a massive help.”