A FUNDRAISING drive which started with a beer being named after a York restaurant’s assistant manager is to continue following his death from a brain tumour.

Jon Moss, who worked at Walmgate Ale House, died in May, aged 39, two months after Jon’s Blonde was launched by the Half Moon Brewery in East Yorkshire in a bid to fund research into the cancer.

Sales of the ale at the bistro and other restaurants and bars across the area rapidly took off and, combined with the collection at his funeral and other activities at the Ale House, have since raised a total of £7,000 for the Brain Tumour Charity.

Now The Jon Moss Fund has been launched to ensure the fundraising continues in his memory, with staff from bars and restaurants across York set to take part in a new five-a-side football tournament a week today.

Managers at the ale house, Mike Edmondson and Ellie Gibson, are also set to take part in the Micklegate Soap Box Challenge on August Bank Holiday Monday in a Jon’s Blonde go-cart featuring giant wooden models of the bottled beer on each side of the cart.

Mr Edmondson said there were also plans to have an information stall in Micklegate outside The Priory pub, where the race will start, with Jon’s Blonde on sale inside.

Jon’s partner Avril King said funds raised would be allocated to specific branches of research to help people diagnosed with high grade brain tumours of the type Jon suffered.

She said the football tournament would take place from 2pm-4pm next Monday at York Sport at the University of York at Heslington and involve teams from at least 10 York bars and restaurants.

“We hope to make this event annual, with a trophy and much pride at stake!” she said.

She said Jon, from the Leeman Road area, who fell ill exactly a year ago on Saturday, died on May 6 at Castle Hill Hospital, near Hull.

“He had been in hospital for some weeks, but was cared for wonderfully by the team there,” she said.

She paid tribute to Jon, saying: “He was an outstanding friend to people and an outstanding colleague, a really loyal person, and I think it’s a testament to him that the fundraising is still going on.

“He was also incredibly passionate about what he did at work.

“When he fell ill, he was a person who wanted to get better but was really positive and determined to make the most out of the time he had left.

“In the last six months, we were able to do so much, with the highlight probably being a few nights stay up at Whitby, in accommodation which was provided by the charity York Against Cancer.”