Shropshire Star

Bridgnorth footballers donate kits to disadvantaged children

Young footballers have scored a good deed by donating kits to disadvantaged children in The Gambia.

Published
Headteacher Jackie Hampson with students and Bridgnorth Spartans FC players

Players from Bridgnorth Spartans FC are giving away their old strips to Mandinari Lower Basic School, so football loving youngsters can look the part.

Several Spartans players attend the town's Castlefield's Primary School, which has developed a partnership with the Gambian learning institution.

Headteacher Jackie Hampson will be heading to the country in the half term to also donate stationary and help deliver a reading scheme, which Castlefields children have raised funds for.

After visiting in November 2017 and seeing the children playing football in the streets, she knows how special the strips will be to them.

She said: "They will love the kits. They love football and anything to do with the Premier League over there. Any souvenir or shirt they can get their hands on, they love it.

"The kits are very good still so I'm going to be taking them over."

Children at the Castlefields have also been taking part in several joint projects including sharing cooking ideas and recipes, as well as cleaning up Set Setal-Style, which means clean up and then clean up again. In the Serrekunda area of The Gambia, people are required to clean their compounds on the last Saturday of every month, with nobody going to work and cars being banned from the roads.

Mrs Hampson added: "It gives them an understanding of what it's like to be a child in another country. We're trying to teach them that everyone is equal, regardless of the material things they have. Rather then it just being a charity thing, we are trying to share projects."

Kelly Woodcock, fundraising officer for Bridgnorth Spartans, added: "The club understands that football is a vehicle to develop young people and their communities. There is always scope to help others, and supporting both our immediate local community and beyond is of utmost importance to our club. By donating previous season's kit to children that do have football attire we are extending our support to the global community."