TWO footballers’ wives are hosting an event to fund bras for mastectomy patients at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The event, at the Victoria Inn, better known as Fanny’s, in Markland Hill, Heaton, will feature sales, demonstrations and a raffle to raise money to buy special bras for people who have had their breasts removed because of cancer.

Breast cancer survivor Debbie Dowie, wife of the former Premier League footballer Iain Dowie, has organised the evening on behalf of Treasure Chest, a Bolton-based breast cancer support group, along with Kevin Davies’ wife Emma Davies.

Other Bolton entrepreneurs are helping to drum up support for the cause.

Mrs Dowie said: “My charity Boot Out Breast Cancer has previously bought £72,000 of equipment for the Royal Bolton Hospital and I think that mastectomy bras for women are also a kind of equipment.

“We are hoping to sell all 200 tickets and raise at least £2,000. We will spend it all on bras.”

Bras are not provided by the NHS, but Jacqueline Parkinson, a staff nurse at Bolton’s breast unit, donated her £1,000 prize money after winning a best patient support award last year.

She said women who have had mastectomies with or without reconstructive surgery need a bra that will not harm them, and said the specialist bras, which are designed so they do not rub and chafe, “give them one less thing to worry about”.

Tickets for the evening, on Tuesday, March 19, cost £10. A percentage of money raised by the businesses will be donated to the cause. Tickets are available from Fanny’s at victoriainn.co or from Aura in Halliwell Road.