A handball family fun day has been organised to help raise funds towards the building of the Jan McElroy Community Sports Hall in Ramsey.

The event will be held on Saturday 27th June from 12pm on the Ramsey Rugby pitch and all money raised on the day will go towards the creation of a brand new sports hall in Ramsey which will greatly benefit the islands sporting community and Manx residents.

Inspiring all ages to get involved, Tilly Davies founding member of the Jan McElroy Memorial Fund said:

“Handball is a fantastic sport and I would encourage families to come down and try it out. We’ll be offering taster sessions so even if you’ve never played, you can give it a go. Upon completion, Jan’s Sports Hall aims to encourage all kinds of sporting activities and we know Jan would be really pleased that events like this are happening in his honour and bringing the local community together.”

Handball is a popular sport on the island with a talented following, in the 90's and 00's the island team won the English 2nd Division and went on to play in the English Premiership. This success saw several local players going on to represent the England and Great Britain national teams in international tournaments.

Mick Hegarty leads Isle of Man Handball and has previously led the Great Britain Handball team, Mick said;

“We are really looking to build on the recent resurgence of handball on island by resurrecting the sport in its spiritual home in the North. The Jan McElroy Community Sports Hall in Ramsey will benefit the development of many sports locally including handball, so we are committed to fundraising for the hall to nurture and develop future Manx sports stars. I'm proud to lead the Isle of Man Handball Club, it's an all-inclusive sport and we have a passionate team who give up their free time to champion growth. Our strategy to raise the profile of the sport includes increasing participation in schools to encourage youth development, growing our own island league, and developing Manx talent to build a squad for future international fixtures.”

Kate Hegarty, Director at Wi Manx, who are sponsoring the event, said;

“With the correct support and leadership we can inspire young, budding Manx athletes and with encouragement from people like Mick we can really grow sport development on island. The Jan McElroy Community Sports Hall in Ramsey is close to my heart and we're extremely proud to be contributing towards the build of sporting facilities for the Isle of Man.

To register your interest, find the event on Facebook by searching “Wi-Manx Ramsey Handball Festival.” Taster sessions are free for children and other activities on the day will include bouncy castles and face painting.

The day will culminate in a Ramsey vs Douglas handball match with the Jan McElroy Cup being awarded to the winner.