Teammates of a popular rugby player have raised money for a mental health charity in her memory.

Nicola Wilson, 26, of Greengarth, Great Clifton, died in October last year.

Miss Wilson had played for Workington Finches, a women’s rugby union side, and the team’s players decided to raise money for Mind, a charity she had fundraised for.

It was revealed at an inquest into Miss Wilson’s death last week that she had also engaged with the charity for help with her mental health.

Finches captain Charlotte Bowman said: “We held a memorial match for Nic where we had raffles, sold programmes and had collection buckets on the day.

“We had a big donation from The Miners Arms, one of our sponsors, who held a charity night for Nic and raised £150.

“In total from that and the memorial match we raised nearly £600.

“We won the game 75-0 against Bury.”

Charlotte said Miss Wilson had been a well-loved member of the team and they plan to raise more money for Mind with another event this summer.

She added: “Anyone who ever met Nic always said she was a bubbly, outgoing person.

“She had an infectious laugh that you could hear before you saw her.

“She was known for her quick little legs and big tackles and positivity on the pitch.

“When she told me that she wouldn’t be able to play for us anymore as she was transitioning we were gutted not to have her on the pitch with us but she had all the support in the world from myself and the team.

“I still remember her face when she told me; her smile will live with me forever. She was so happy.

“Nic was always the life and soul of the party but she also had a soft side.

“She was always there for others, helping them before herself.

“She was one of a kind and is a massive miss to myself and the whole team.”

The team are on the brink of their first promotion from the North 2 West league and hope to achieve their goal in memory of their former player.

They said she would always be a Finch and forever in their hearts.