Rovers striker Danny Graham said he was ‘overwhelmed’ after raising over £10,000 for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.

Graham has been auctioning off some of his most prized possessions of football memorabilia over the course of the last month to help support the NHS heroes tackling the Coronavirus pandemic.

After giving fans the opportunity to win signed shirts and boots that he had collected throughout his career, Graham’s last auction item was the PFA Team of the Year medal he was awarded in 2017/18 after his 17 goals helped Rovers secure promotion back to the Championship.

Having initially set himself a target of £5,000, Graham’s fundraising page closed at the weekend at an incredible total of £10,150, which will now be donated to the North East hospital where he was born.

The 34-year-old was left stunned by the support shown from friends, family and football fans across the country and was pleased to play his part in the fundraising efforts of his home-town hospital.

He said: “I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who donated to the fundraiser page for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

“To reach over £10,000 is an incredible achievement and I’m so overwhelmed with the amount and the support shown by everyone. Thanks again.” 

Elsewhere, Under-23s captain Joe Grayson has raised over £1,400 for local charities after auctioning off signed Rovers memorabilia.

That included a signed Rovers shirt from the 2004/05 season, a Mark Hughes shirt from 2000/01 and a signed pair of Morten Gamst Pedersen’s boots.