THE friends and family of a Calverhall man who lost his life in a longboarding accident in Canada have raised money in his memory.

Originally from Calverhall, Darren Pugh, 31, moved to Canada in 2012 to pursue a new life in the Bow Valley town of Canmore.

But on March 21 he fell off his board after encountering gravel on the road surface and sadly died of his injuries shortly after.

Following his death, his friends and family came together to commemorate him while raising money for charitable organisations.

A memorial event was held at Calverhall Cricket Club, with players past and present taking part, with the game helping raise money for the Midlands Air Ambulance, and Canada's air ambulance, STARS.

"He had a huge passion for life, adventures and a massive love for his friends and family," said Darren's sister, Lauren. "From biking, climbing, snowboarding and skateboarding he enjoyed it all.

"In the wake of his death the family decided to do something positive out of something negative.

"We arranged a memorial for him at Calverhall cricket club in which we raised £1,500 to be split between midlands air ambulance and STARS.

"Then a couple of local lads, Oliver Griffiths and Ben Oakley, organised a memorial cricket match with players past and present, which was a roaring success something that Darren would have definitely loved."

All together Darren's friends and family raised more than $5,000 for STARS and £1,000 for Midlands Air Ambulance.

Lauren added: "It’s just nice to see something positive happen out of something so tragic."