A 24-year-old sportsman from St Ives has raised thousands of pounds in memory of his sister, after she died just days after celebrating Christmas.

Adam Burgoyne, who plays for Houghton and Wyton Football Club, decided to set up a JustGiving page when Tara Spicer, 28, died from leukaemia on December 30 – a fundraising drive which has fetched more than £7,000 so far.

Initially setting his target at £2,000, the amount of support for the page forced Adam to keep increasing his goal, which is now set at a massive £10,000.

“It’s been amazing,” he told The Hunts Post.

“Tara had more than 100 cards sent to her house [after she died]. We knew she was loved and had close friends and family but this has gone above and beyond so we’re really overwhelmed by the support.”

Tara, who worked as a teacher at Eastfield Primary School, was diagnosed with leukaemia on July 6 last year, before contracting an infection from a bone marrow transplant in December – a donation Adam had given to help her in the fight.

“She was a primary school teacher and she was a really bubbly person and put everyone first.

“The hospital doctors would love to come and see her – even when they were about to stick a needle in her she would have a smile on her face and would say ‘thank you’. She was not the kind of person to take things for granted.”

Since then, Adam discovered he had won a competition run by Ultra White Collar Boxing for the amount of money he had raised - an organisation dedicated to supporting Cancer Research UK.

Now, he is set to box at Peterborough Arena on March 18, with eight weeks worth of free training courtesy of Ultra White Collar ahead of his debut in the ring.

“Before it happens to you, you don’t really think about it. But then you realise how big it is and how much it affects people. Without us, these charities can’t get what they need to save people’s lives,” Adam said.

“We know what it takes and how much chemotherapy and staff time goes into it – it’s huge – and we don’t want another family to go through what we went through.”

Adam hopes to do more events to raise money in Tara’s memory, but aims to reach his target of £10,000 before the match.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Adam-Burgoyne