The Bram and Chris Lane memorial charity event held at Tewkesbury Rugby Club raised a fantastic £3,000 for good causes.

Maggie Cole, who has been a member of the rugby club for 40 years, was one of the driving forces behind the big day in July which marked the 10th anniversary of the deaths of Bram and his son Chris Lane.

On the day, the club hosted a touch rugby tournament in honour of the two men who died so tragically in the 2007 floods that swept through large parts of Gloucestershire.

The money raised has been split evenly between two charities – the Midlands Air Ambulance and the Wooden Spoon Society.

Maggie, married to Paul who played second row for the club for 23 years from 1969, said: “We were absolutely over the moon with the amount of money raised.

“We can’t thank enough all the local businesses, members of the club and the players who turned out on the day or just supported the event.”

The rugby side of the day was organised by Steve Joslin, who works on the community side for Worcester Warriors.

“He was our head coach the season before the floods so he has an affinity with the club,” said Maggie.

“He originally coached the women’s team when it was formed about 20 years ago. His sister Laura played for them.”

While Maggie was pleased to play her part in what was clearly an important event, she admits that it was not always easy.

“The day itself was very emotional,” she said. “Bram was a good friend of mine. When we held the memorial, you don’t realise how much emotion you’ve still got inside you even after 10 years.

“He was a smashing bloke and it was important to do it.

“It’s so important that the players of today know that Bram and Chris sacrificed themselves for the club.”

The touch rugby sevens tournament in July produced four winners. The main cup was won by Cheltenham, Bredon A and Bredon B won the plate and bowl respectively, and a Tewkesbury Rugby Club team calling themselves In Ant We Trust won the shield.

Joslin added: “I knew Bram very well, he was the life and soul of the club. I also knew his son Chris, although not as well. I was happy to help out in any way I could.

“There were a huge number of teams taking part and the day went very well.”

The cheque presentations were made on Saturday when the club also marked the 20th anniversary of their move to their new headquarters at The Moats – an opening that was carried out by former France and Gloucester wing Philippe Saint-Andre.