MORE than £2,000 was raised at an auction held in memory of Bacup teenager Matthew Entwistle.

Around £3,500 had already been raised at Matt Fest, a special event held last month to remember 15-year-old Matthew, who died in a bike accident at Cowm Quarry in Whitworth in August.

The community support for the event was so strong that the organisers of Matt Fest had a big surplus of donated prizes, so decided to hold a second fundraiser at the Rose and Bowl in Stacksteads on Monday.

Bacup councillor Jimmy Eaton was auctioneer, and live music was provided by John Grogan and Anita from Italy.

Kim Johnson, who organised the auction with her husband Simon, said: "It was a fantastic evening, there were around 200 people there, including lots of Matt's friends from Fearns High School, which was great to see, and everybody really enjoyed themselves as well as raising even more money.

"I'd like to thank everyone for their support, and especially Sandra and Bob Baird, Christine Ashworth and Paul Roberts for their help."

The cash will go towards buying a special piece of equipment with a memorial plaque for the BMX skate park in Stubbylee, where keen biker Matthew spent a lot of his time.

Any funds left over will be donated to North West Air Ambulance and Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue.