Peterborough Utd fan's bereaved family fundraises for air ambulance

Posh fan Elliot Noble collapsed at home as he was making plans to go to match at London Road

The father of a football fan who died has started a fundraiser for the air ambulance team that tried to save him.

Elliot Noble was making plans with friends ahead of a Peterborough United match when he collapsed at home on 26 August.

His dad, Nigel Noble, said the support from the club had been "phenomenal" and it had gone "over and above".

The family set up the fundraiser to show its "gratitude" to the East Anglian Air Ambulance, he said.

Mr Noble said the air ambulance team arrived on the Saturday morning to treat his son, who had been planning to go to the match against Derby County at the Weston Homes Stadium.

"They tried so hard, probably for longer than what they ordinarily would, to revive Elliot. However, it was in vain," he said.

"What we could see, as his family who lay there with him, was just the sheer dedication and effort that they put in to try to save Elliot."

'Incredibly emotional'

There was a one-minute applause in honour of Elliot at Posh's match at home to Leyton Orient last Saturday, and it was "incredibly emotional marking our son's life", Mr Noble said.

"There were about 8,000 people there, and from where we were, it looked like the vast majority of those took part," he added.

"We had about 50 or so of Elliot's family and friends all standing together... and about half of those, if not more, were wearing shirts with 'Noble 12' on the back."

Peterborough's first team squad signed a shirt for a raffle prize, which is part of the family's fundraising efforts for the air ambulance, which is a charity running on voluntary donations.

He said that he hoped the money from the fundraiser could "go to that great cause, that people across our region benefit from".