A FOOTBALL signed by Manchester United's first team will form the centre piece in an auction at a Waterfoot pub later this month.

The football was won by the Blackburn branch of Senior Gateway - the leisure element of Mencap - when branch's team won a match at a day for disabilities organised by the Manchester United supporters' club last year.

Eddie Jackson, joint Burnley Senior Gateway manager, said: "We wondered what to do with this ball and how it could help us.

"Then the Rossendale branch of Manchester United supporters' club, which is chaired by player Phil Neville, decided to treat members to a sports evening at the Royal Hotel at Waterfoot.

"There will be pool and snooker and they will provide supper. Fifty of us are going from across Blackburn."

The ball will also be auctioned off and proceeds will go to Gateway, which is run by volunteers and relies on donations to the Mencap charity.

Eddie said he hoped it would raise at least £2,500 as he had seen a similar ball raise this amount on the internet.

The auction is being held from 8pm on April 29.