BLACKBURN Rovers fans have the chance to get their hands on tickets for the forthcoming clash with Southampton -- and raise money for charity.

Forty adult tickets have been donated to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph Magic Eye appeal for the league game at home at Ewood Park.

The tickets for the upper tier of the Blackburn End stand on February 8 are worth around £20 each.

But for a donation of anything over £10, fans can have a glimpse of the football action while giving money to their local scanner appeal.

The tickets were given to us by EDM Construction based in Leyland. Some tickets were donated to Mount Carmel RC High School in Accrington to fundraise for a £1,500 annexe.

But thanks to the generous managers, 40 more tickets are up for grabs in exchange for a cash boost to buy crucial endoscopic ultrasound equipment for East Lancashire.

Group managing director, Eddie Fitzpatrick, said: "We are delighted to be in a position to help out with the appeal and hope that people dig deep in exchange for a ticket.

"We have always given a lot of money to charity and want to carry on that reputation for local good causes."

The appeal is now running towards a new target of £270,000 after generous East Lancashire folk smashed the first milestone before Christmas.

The money will go towards buying three endoscopic ultrasound attachments which, it is believed, will be exclusively available in the East of the county.

They will revolutionise the treatment of stomach and oesophagus cancers as well as speeding up the diagnosis of upper gastro diseases including lung cancer.

Operations manager Michael White added: "There are a lot of employees who come from East Lancashire and at the end of the day cancer can strike anyone.

"This equipment will really help all those people effected by cancer."

Appeal organiser Ian Woolley and chairman of the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare trust, said: "This fantastic donation will really help give the appeal another kick in the right direction and we are really grateful for the tickets. We hope that everyone will carry on with their honourable efforts to raise money so that we can reach our new target.

"But they will be available on a first come first serve basis so I urge people to call as soon as possible."

The tickets are available from the Queen's Park Hospital appeal office by calling 01254 293 272.