FORMER Latics star Mark Innes is hosting a charity night at Tara Leisure, Shaw, on Saturday to raise money in honour of his sister Claire, who was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer last year at the age of 41.

The fundraising night is the final event of his “12 in 12 Challenge” to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Innes, now 39, came through the ranks at Athletic after joining as a youth prospect from his native Scotland as a raw 15-year-old.

He broke into the first team in 1997, operating as a midfielder before switching to left-back prior to joining Chesterfield in 2002.

As a way of showing support for his sister, the former footballer, who lives in Royton with his wife Karen and two daughters Eva and Erin, came up with the idea of completing 12 challenges in 12 months.

He wanted to raise as much cash as possible for Macmillan, which has helped Claire, her three boys Declan, Calum and Charlie and the rest of the family.

Innes, who runs his own coaching academy, has endured some exciting and gruelling physical challenges including the Manchester Marathon, UK Three Peaks, Yorkshire Three Peaks, West Highland Way and a white collar competitive boxing match in which he triumphed.

He said: “I wanted to do something that would be a focus for all of the family to try and take our minds off what was happening.

“It had to be something that the children could be involved in as well, such as baking for the coffee morning, training with me and cheering me on at the Manchester Marathon as well as making banners for my boxing match.”

Claire started her nine rounds of intensive chemotherapy in March 2017 before having an intrusive operation to remove all of the tumours followed by an intensive course of radiotherapy. She has made a fantastic recovery, has just returned to work and is doing extremely well.

“I am so pleased that Claire is doing extremely well,” added Innes, who made 73 appearances for Athletic.

“I was so proud when she was well enough to complete some of the challenges with me, particularly the West Highland Way which was such an important challenge for both of us.

“The whole year has been unforgettable and I’m so grateful to everyone who has donated and supported us all.”

Saturday’s charity night will encompass live music, a local comedian, exclusive raffle prizes and a live sports auction followed by a DJ set.

To find out more, or to purchase tickets call 07766 374 605 or email info@micacoaching.co.uk.

Anyone who would like to donate should visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/macmillan12.