Hollyoaks and Emmerdale celebrities and former Portsmouth FC players to line up for charity game in aid of Pompey in the Community

The Pompey Charity Squad will face off against the Celebrity XI in a match on April 14, with funds raised going to Pompey in the Community and charity Once Upon a Smile.

The match will see stars Danny Miller (Emmerdale), Ben Ryan Davies (Waterloo Road) and Daniel Jillings (Hollyoaks) join the Celebrity XI team against Touchline Tony’s Pompey charity squad, including Pompey FC alumni Alan Knight and Patrick Agyemang.

The money raised will be split between Pompey in the Community and charity Once Upon a Smile. Funds donated to Pompey in the Community, which works with more than 6,000 people a week through schools and schemes, will help provide new facilities for the area.

Clare Martin, head of Pompey in the Community, described her plans for a future facility and why it was so vital to the area: ‘Our development teams have no home, playing home matches as far afield as Alton and Gosport. A football facility of our own will help us continue to reach out further into the local community and ensure that even more people benefit from our programmes.’

The celebrity chosen charity, Once Upon a Smile, provides care to families during bereavement who may be experiencing a lack of support following the death of a loved one. It is the only charity in the UK to specifically offer this.

Mike Briscoe, event organiser of the charity match described how he hoped that the funds raised will reflect that of a match held previously.

‘We raised £5,600 a couple of years ago,' he said. ‘So hopefully around that much this time.’

The match will take place on Sunday, April 14 at The PMC Stadium, Eastern Road, Portsmouth – the home of Baffins Milton Rovers – at 1pm. Tickets purchased in advance online are £6 for an adult and £3 for a child. You can find tickets on: www.pompey.eventbrite.com

All players are subject to work commitments