Football match in memory of Shropshire teacher Gareth Utting

Staff and students from the Thomas Adams School in Wem were going head-to-head with each other as a way of remembering English teacher Gareth Utting.

Mr Utting, of Cherry Drive, Ellesmere, was taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on the evening of April 2 after he was suddenly taken ill.

He later died while of what is thought to have been a heart attack.

Today's match was being held at the home of Wem Town Football Club at 4.15pm and was set to be watched by about 200 people.

Speaking prior to the event, Liam Allen, PE teacher at the school and one of the organisers, said: "It will be an 11-a-side match featuring a team of sixth formers and a team of staff.

"We have already sold roughly 200 tickets so there should be a decent amount of spectators.

"We had discussed arranging a match before and then we found out about the tragic news of Gareth.

"We thought it was a fitting way to raise money for charity."

Today's match has followed a memorial service held at the school last month, which featured poetry reading, singing and several speeches from his colleagues.

His funeral took place on April 14 at St Mary's Church, Ellesmere, which was attended by hundreds of mourners.

Mr Utting, who had taught at Thomas Adams for 10 years, leaves his wife Alison and children Sam, 14, Ioan, four, and Catrin, one.

Formerly of St Martins, Mr Utting was a leader of the St Martin's Beaver Scouts, as well as a martial arts instructor in Eskrima.

He was an active member of Penycae Neighbourhood Church of the Nazarene, based in the village between Chirk and Wrexham.

Meanwhile, an open letter from his wife to Education Secretary Michael Gove has now been shared more than 94,000 times on the internet.

Mrs Utting, who believes the stress of his job contributed to his death, wrote an open letter to Mr Gove and posted it on Facebook – saying her husband had been "killed by the system".