Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and a cancer charity celebrated a year of working together to help people beat the disease.

The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support launched the After Cancer Exercise (ACE) programme last year.

An event to mark the milestone was held at the White Hart Lane stadium on Thursday, April 16.

The ACE programme has already helped 150 Haringey and Enfield people who have the disease, giving them a week of one-on-one activity sessions with an exercise specialist.

The sessions aim to improve people’s mental wellbeing, physical health and reduce the chances of their cancer recurring.

Tottenham’s midfielder Nacer Chadli cut the one-year anniversary cake, before joining in with an aerobics exercise session.

Mr Chadli said: “I was very glad to be part of this event and support this co-operation with the charity. I was very happy to come and cut the cake for the anniversary. It means a lot to me to be a part of it. I think the programme is very helpful - it gives a lot of hope to these people.

“I’m very glad we help a lot of people in the local area, as we have a lot of fans here. I think its important to help people face cancer, and its good that Tottenham is a part of that.”

Haringey resident Paul Walker, 53, a father of three who retired from running an online mail order company when he was diagnosed with lung cancer said: “When I got told I had lung cancer it was like being caught in the middle of an earthquake. It was a huge shock to me and to my family.

“This programme has been fantastic for me. The one-on-one training that I got was great for filling me with confidence to try out new exercise. It was very safe, very tailored and very effective.

“Overall, exercise has been great for me, giving me a sense of control. I think it’s really important that people with serious illnesses take as much control over their conditions as possible, and this gave me another tool that I could use to promote my own health. I’m very grateful to Spurs and to Macmillan for getting this programme together.”

The ACE scheme is funded jointly by Macmillan Cancer Support, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and a Big Lottery Fund grant.

Grant Cornwell, chief executive officer of Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said: “We’re incredibly proud of ACE and the work our instructors do to help change the lives of people living with and beyond cancer.”

Nikki Cannon, senior Macmillan development manager, said: “We are delighted that the ACE programme is making a real difference to people living with and beyond the disease."