Newcastle's Kingston Park Stadium is set to host a rugby match for Armed Forces Day, where UK Armed Forces RFC will take on a North of England Select team to raise money for the Military vs Cancer charity.
All of the proceeds from the match, at the home of the Newcastle Falcons, which takes place on Saturday June 24 at 3pm, will go to the charity.
Military vs Cancer brings together all three military services, businesses and people in industry to help support those who are battling with cancer, aiming to inspire people to live their lives to the fullest.
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The squad for the UK Armed Forces RFC team will be selected from the Inter Services competition, which comprises of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force.
This game will also be used to make sure they are as sharp as possible before heading off to France for the Military Rugby World Championships. They will be aiming to go one step further than the silver medal they received at the previous tournament four years ago.
On the other side of the pitch, the North of England Select team will be chosen from the counties of Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire.
Kieran Forbes from County Durham, will be playing for the UK Armed Forces team, and he has spoken about the event and why he thinks it is so important.
"The UK Armed Forces team is the pinnacle of rugby in the single services, so it is such a privilege to be a part of this team and to represent it on Armed Forces Day.
"I think people should come to the event to support the charity first of all, but also to see really high quality rugby from players who are at the top of their game.
"What comes with this is a unique opportunity for North East rugby fans to the UK Armed Forces team live, and on a personal note it will be great for my family to see me playing too", he said.
On the other side is Cooper Vuna, the Samoan born ex-professional who most recently played for Newcastle Falcons. He has also given his thoughts on the event and being part of the North of England Select team.
"Having recently retired from the pro game, I never got to have my perfect last home game at Kingston Park, so being able to play here again in this way was an opportunity that I couldn't turn down.
"This will be a great way for me to finish off on a good note, this is a special event against people that we look up to, and it is for an amazing cause also.
"This will be a competitive game and hopefully I will see as many people there as possible, showing the comradery that is so common in the Armed Forces. Bring it on."
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