Leigh Leopards and Wigan Warriors join forces to raise awareness for a local charity in the borough

The two teams go head-to-head on Thursday night (K.O. 8pm), in what is their first meeting of the season.

Each time the club’s meet this year they will highlight an off-field battle in the borough, with the first focus being Wigan and Leigh Young Carers.

The charity’s chief executive B ernadette Ashcroft said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us.

“We suspect there’s around 5,000 young carers across the borough, and we work with 540.

“We are overwhelmed by this opportunity and really looking forward to Thursday night.

“All of the tickets allocated have been gone, so we’ve been delighted with the response from the young carers and their families to use this opportunity to raise awareness and raise funds for the charity.

“If there are 8,000 people here, then we know a lot of them will be carers themselves or have children who participate in caring.

“Statistics show young carers are disadvantaged in a lot of ways compared to other children who don’t have those levels of responsibility.”

Along with the support of Wigan Council, the two clubs have made free tickets available to the charity on Thursday night for the young carers and their families.

Senior young carers support worker Nicola Wood added: “We are a rugby town, so this is really big.

“We have a lot of fans amongst our young carers, so it’s really good that they are being supported by something they provide support for.

“It’s really good to see that the clubs want to give something back to the community, and what a game to do it.

“We are really excited for the game.

“Our charity is volunteer led, and that is something we are really looking to raise awareness for.

“If anyone can give up their time and come along to support our groups then that’s a big part of what we want to achieve.

“It’s such a rewarding thing to do, I started as a volunteer myself and it’s just nice to give something back.”

Further details about the Wigan and Leigh Young Carers Charity registered (1138908) can be found by visiting www.wlcccarers.com, or by contacting the Young Carers Team on 01942 697 885, or email [email protected].