A GROUP of friends from across the country held a gaming marathon and raised thousands of pounds for a cancer charity in memory of a friend who died after battling the illness.

The “MadDog Marathon”, held in a Bury arcade, has so far raised £1,750 for the Teenage Cancer Trust in honour of 24-year-old Scott Manderson, from Leeds, who died in May 2016 after battling bone and lung cancer for two years.

The marathon saw gamers playing arcade machines and consoles for 24 hours continuously at the Arcade Club, in Cork Street, which they chose as one of the best arcades in the UK.

Participants, who knew Scott through the online gaming community, travelled from across England to take part in the event, which was also streamed online.

The event was also open to the public to join in and watch, with collection buckets being passed around during the marathon.

Ashley Jones, who owns the website www.n-europe.com through which the event was organised, said: “It was quite a surprise, but a very nice one, to raise so much money.

“The event went better than we could have expected, and it was a great 24 hours.

“It was very tiring at some points, but we managed to get through it with a lot of caffeine.

“Of course we were thinking about Scott which was sad, but at the same time we had a great time and I’m sure it’s what he would have wanted.”

Mr Jones, aged 29, has sent a letter to Scott’s family to tell them how much money they have raised.

And some of the donations came from Scott’s family themselves, who had recommended raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust because of the support the charity gave to Scott.

Mr Jones, from London but who travelled to Bury especially for the event, said: “Scott was a very friendly and outgoing person, even when going through his illness.

“We wanted to do something that was relevant to what Scott loved doing.”

To donate to the cause, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/maddogmarathon