Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand help raise money for St Albans charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK

Football stars and celebrities including Rio Ferdinand and Olly Murs who gathered at a charity event at Manchester United’s home grounds have helped raise over £100,000 for a St Albans based charity.

Diana and Jon McLeish – son of former Scotland and Rangers boss Alex McLeish – visited Crohn’s and Colitis UK, Sutton Road, recently to present a mammoth cheque.

The charity is the major patient organisation for all those living with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, bowel conditions which can devastate lives and have no known cure.

About 260,000 people are affected by these inflammatory bowel conditions in the UK.

Jon and Diana said they were thrilled to raise so much money at a successful charity gala dinner, United for Colitis, at Old Trafford.

The event was attended by Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher and former England rugby captain Lewis Moody, both of whom spoke openly about their battles living with the debilitating conditions of Crohn’s and colitis.

Jon, who fundraises for the charity because he has had ulcerative colitis since 2007, has many connections within the sporting world and spearheaded the event to raise both awareness and money.

Those attending the dinner included Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, along with former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and many England rugby players.

Jon and Diana presented the whopping cheque to the charity’s chief executive David Barker.