THE first event in memory of a popular boxing coach takes place in Darwen tonight.

Trevor Thompson, of Ivinson Road, was killed in a car smash on the M6 in Warwickshire in February.

Trevor had been a passenger in a BMW car which had been returning home from a professional fight his son, Gary, had lost at Wembley Arena.

The first Trevor Thompson Memorial Fund fundraiser is at the Engineers Arms, Duckworth Street, Darwen, tonight.

The memorial fund was set up shortly after his death to honour the 65-year-old boxing coach and was initially set up to help amateur boxers but will also raise money for local people and charities.

Trevor's son, Adrian, 43, from Penzance, in Cornwall, has travelled to Darwen to oversee the event.

A charity pool tournament is taking place and the winner will receive a trophy dedicated to Trevor. Adrian hopes the tournament will become an annual event.

Trevor himself had organised a charity pool tournament last May at the same pub for a terminally-ill Darwen toddler, Grace Knowles, who suffers from Cockayne Syndrome, a disorder where people are sensitive to sunlight. There is no cure and she is not expected to live past the age of six.

Trevor said: "This fund is what my dad would have wanted."

More than £3,000 has been raised from donations given for Trevor's funeral held in March and the proceeds have gone towards the fund.