Over 120 friends and relatives gathered to honour the memory of a much-loved and respected Wirral man - and to raise money for the British Heart Foundation at the same time.

Jill Parker and her teenage son, Dan, are trying to come to terms with the loss of Mal Parker who died suddenly in June 2012. With the help of friends and family they staged the event in a marquee at a friend’s home in Great Barrow, near Chester.

Jill explained:‘Mal died tragically on the River Dee while rowing in a corporate event for the company he worked for. He had a heart attack at the end of the race. It was such a tragic loss of a very special man, who was only 56. He left behind myself, and 15-year-old son Dan. The loss was so hard to bear and the past 16 months have been very difficult.’

Mal was the Production Manager at the refinery in Ellesmere Port owned by Essar, formerly Shell, and was a popular man who seemed fit and healthy.

Jill added: ‘Mal often raised money for charity, managing football teams at work to play in tournaments at Manchester United for the Hospice in Manchester. I have had such heartache but I find that the only way to get on with it is to organise this fund-raising event in his name for the Heart Foundation.’