A Stevenage family and their friends are coming together to raise funds for a cause close to their hearts in a charity boxing match.

The Comet: Bill Flavell with his niece Freya.Bill Flavell with his niece Freya. (Image: Archant)

Bill’s Ultimate Fight Night will take place to remember William Flavell, who passed away on January 9 after a brief battle with leukaemia.

Professional boxers will be joining enthusiastic amateurs for the action-packed night, being held at the Stevenage Holiday Inn in St George’s Way from 6.30pm on Saturday, September 23.

The funds raised will go towards One in a Billiam, a charity being registered by Bill’s family after they experienced the emotional and financial challenges of looking after a terminally ill loved one.

One in a Billiam will support families with the costs of spending time with their loved ones in their precious final days.

For the boxing match, one of Bill’s old friends Brett Ridley approached Bill’s mother Jayne with the aim of raising a few thousand pounds.

Professional boxers Amidul Rahman and Aaron Ridley will fight it out with William’s old friends over 10 bouts.

“Each bout features Bill’s close friends fighting each other in his memory,” said Brett in the Facebook announcement.

“We all know he’d love to watch us beat each other up!”

This is not the first fundraiser in Bill’s memory, as in January the family organised a memorial night at The Almond Tree pub in Stevenage – raising enough funds to give out gift bags for homeless people.

But they still want to do more. One in a Billiam is being set up to try and cover the many hidden costs of this painful time, such as hotel bills, car parking, and loss of earnings – so that families can focus on precious last moments.

Bill’s mum Jayne told the Comet: “Basically I stopped working, and we were by his side for the eight weeks that he fought for his life. But I could have lost my home trying to be by his side – I would have been willing to.

“This is why I want to set up the charity. It doesn’t matter what age, what colour, whether you’re working or not – you’re entitled to that.

“Nothing can bring Bill back now, but we want to do anything we can to help others.”

Tickets cost £25 a head, or £40 per head for a table of 10, and can be found at the Facebook page ‘Bill’s Ultimate Fight Night’.