Colleagues raise vital funds for Heartbeat in memory of PNE legend

Ross, died in May at the age of 73. The defender began his footballing career at 15 as an apprentice at the Deepdale Club.

Following his retirement from the game, the Scotsman, who made Preston his home was a weekly driver for the Broadway Pharmacy in Garstang Road.

And his former co-workers organised a special charity ladies night, donating the funds to the Deepdale based charity, which was close to his heart.

A spokesperson for the pharmacy said: “George Ross ESQ, was one of our regular weekly drivers who built up a great working relationship with his colleagues and most importantly the customers who he delivered prescriptions to.

He was a regular member of Heartbeat, where he used to go weekly to maintain and improve his health and heart.

We managed to raise an amazing amount of money £622.32

“We cannot thank all our kind customers enough who donated! We are humbled with the amount we have raised for George, he would be thrilled and so thankful like us!

“We had already chosen Heartbeat as our charity for this event before George sadly passed away, so we believed this was our chance to give Heartbeat back all we could for a beloved colleague of ours and raise as much money as we could.”

George’s wife Pat, who joined the team for the cheque presentation said: “Heartbeat played a very important part in George’s life when he was alive and we will always be thankful to Heartbeat. It give us great please to see that money has been raised in memory of George and given to a charity very close to his heart.”

The money raised will go towards the charity’s work in providing heart care for local people by providing an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programme, fully supervised by trained instructors, to those recovering from heart attack, surgery or stroke and supports those at risk of developing these conditions.