Local rivals Hay St Marys Football Club and Talgarth Town Football Club are coming together to play a charity football match in honour and support of Talgarth senior team manager, Mark ‘Tiny’ Harding after his prostate cancer diagnosis in September.

The charity match, on Saturday, November 16, at Forest Road in Hay-on-Wye will kick off at 4pm and the clubs will be raising money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Talgarth senior men’s first team manager, Mark Harding, known as ‘Tiny,’ was given the devastating news in September that he had prostate cancer and shortly after told that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and his bones.

A popular figure in the area due to his commitment to the football club, Mark and is now raising money for Prostate Cancer Research through his JustGiving page.

He is raising awareness of the illness and hopes his story will encourage others to get tested.

Mark has been receiving treatment since and to raise awareness, he is having a Prostate Cancer UK tattoo done at no cost by John Sheppard and Sarah Sheppard of Twinkles and Ink.

Mark’s message to men is: “Don’t hang about and be a statistic. If you don’t feel right get yourself sorted. You owe it to your family, your friends and yourself.”

Speaking about the charity match, a spokesperson for Hay St Marys Football Club said: “This match will be in honour and support of Tiny Hardingafter his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer in September.

“Talgarth have always been our biggest rivals but it’s causes like this, that bring us together with the same goal in mind, to raise money to support those at the heart of our club and community.

“Geraldine Like Catering will be joining us to provide ‘Delicious Hot Carvery Rolls’. While our teahut will be open to provide drinks and snacks throughout the day. Please come down and show your support.”

Entrance is £3.

A JustGiving Page for Mark ‘Tiny’ Harding can be found by clicking here.

The NHS website states that prostate cancer does not usually cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis (urethra).

Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:

• needing to pee more frequently, often during the night

• needing to rush to the toilet

• difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)

• straining or taking a long time while peeing

• weak flow

• feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully

• blood in urine or blood in semen

These symptoms do not always mean you have prostate cancer. Many men's prostates get larger as they get older because of a non-cancerous condition called benign prostate enlargement.

Signs that the cancer may have spread include bone and back pain, a loss of appetite, pain in the testicles and unintentional weight loss.

For more information visit the Prostate Cancer UK website and the Cancer Research UK website.