Leeds United fan Jon Richardson among comedians involved in 'Laugh in the Face of Cancer' at City Varieties

The comedy night, hosted at Leeds City Varieties, raises funds for the charity and this year featured Jon Richardson as well as Matt Reed, Scott Bennett, Josh Pugh and Sammy Dobson.

Organised by Jordan and Elizabeth Long after Elizabeth’s sister was diagnosed with cancer, the event has been running over the last eight years and has generated over £484,000 for Leeds Hospitals Charity. This year’s event added over £22,000 to that total.

Jordan said: “Liz and I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone that attended and donated, making the eighth edition of ‘Laugh in the Face of Cancer’ such a success.

"We’d also like to thank City Varieties Music Hall and all of the comedians who took time out of their busy schedules to support the event. We’ll keep raising money for the Leeds Hospitals Charity who continue raising awareness and fight the battle against cancer. Roll on next year.”

Leeds Hospitals Charity is the charity partner of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and raises money for projects above and beyond what the NHS can provide.

Organisers Jordan and Elizabeth work for Leeds-based credit management company Lowell, who have matched money raised for the charity. Lowell UK CEO John Pears said: “Every year this event gets bigger and better. I am so proud of Jordan and Elizabeth Long for the work that they put into creating such a fantastic event for such a worthy cause within our region.”

Esther Wakeman, CEO of Leeds Hospitals Charity, said: “It’s been fantastic to watch Laugh in the Face of Cancer go from strength to strength over the past eight years and become a highly anticipated event for many across our city. This wonderful comedy night is always a resounding success and attracts some of the UK’s most high-profile comedians.

"All of us at Leeds Hospitals Charity are truly grateful to colleagues at Lowell for their dedication to fundraising which has already made a huge difference to cancer patients, their loved ones, and staff working across Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.”