Ayrshire Duo Host Football Fundraiser in Memory of their Dads 21 June 2023 Lynsey McInnes and Asten Mathieson have a shared goal – to raise funds for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and awareness of heart conditions after both lost their dads to a heart attack. To achieve their goal, they have organised a charity football match that will take place at Ardeer Stadium in Stevenston, Ayrshire, on Sunday, June 25. Pals and former colleagues Lynsey McInnes and Asten Mathieson both lost their dads to a heart attack within six months of each other. As each came to terms with their devastating loss, they decided to do something positive as a lasting tribute to their dads. We both knew we wanted to do organise something in our dads’ memories, and football was the obvious choice. With the help of their football-coaching other halves, the duo has organised a charity football match that aims to raise at least £1,000 for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, the largest health charity in Scotland working with people who have a heart condition. Lynsey, 34, of Saltcoats, in Ayrshire, and Asten, 31, who lives in neighbouring Stevenston, are also keen for the event – it takes place on Sunday, June 25 at Ardeer Stadium in Stevenston – to help raise awareness of heart conditions. Lynsey said: “We both knew we wanted to do organise something in our dads’ memories, and football was the obvious choice. We both love football, our other halves are involved as coaches in football, and a game is a great way to get the community involved. “Ardeer FC are our local junior club, and they offered us the ground for free, so on the day we will have things like a bouncy castle and food so there’s lots of entertainment before the game. The heart of the matter “It was also an obvious choice to pick Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland for a fundraiser. We know how much good CHSS does for people with heart conditions and how important it is to raise awareness.” Asten added: “I had no idea how many people are affected by heart conditions until I started fundraising. In fact, I was born with a hole in my heart and actually had a very minor heart attack just a few weeks ago. So I know this is a charity that could well help me in the future.” We know how much good CHSS does for people with heart conditions and how important it is to raise awareness. Lynsey’s dad, Richard Hill, was just 54 when he had a fatal heart attack in June 2021. He had been living with a heart problem for some time, but appointments with a cardiac specialist had been postponed because of Covid-19 and sadly Richard passed away before he was seen. Asten’s dad, Bobby was 68 and had also been living with the debilitating lung condition COPD when he passed away in January 2022. Asten and Lynsey, who used to work together at debt recovery firm BPO Collections in Ardrossan, set an initial target of £500 when they set up a Justgiving page for the football match. Having surpassed that quickly, they set a new target of £750 and expect to exceed that and raise more than £1,000, which includes selling tickets for a prize draw for an overnight stay at a luxury hotel. Asten said: “We have been so overwhelmed by how generous everyone has been so far, especially when we are all going through this cost-of-living crisis. It’s wonderful to see.” You can boost the duo’s fundraising efforts and help Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland support those with chest, heart and stroke conditions: https://www.justgiving.com/page/lynsey-hill-1681889459244 And if you want to show your support in person, you can go along to the match at the Ardeer FC stadium in Stevenston on Sunday, June 25. The event starts around 1pm with the match kicking off at 2pm. Find out more about fundraising for Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland.