Young footballers in Cray doing their bit for the local community
BY MARIANNE GROS
A motivated team of young footballers organized socially-distanced runs and cycles during the Bank Holiday weekend to raise money for a community COVID-19 relief fund.
The Cray Wanderers under 13s have raised over £2,000 for charity, after their football tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The team collectively ran and cycled over 400 kilometers over three days, and collected funds for a charity to support residents most in need during lockdown, The Royal Arsenal and Woolwich Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group (RAWCMAG).
“It felt great to be able to combine my passion with a very worthy cause. So many people in our community have been hit hard by the pandemic so Im proud to be part of what was a brilliant team effort” said Zuriele Elueme, one of the boys on the team.
The idea came from Jack Butcher, whose father works at Under 1 Roof Nursery.
Jack ands teammates had originally planned to take part in the ESF Butlins Football Tournament with his team-mates, and he wanted to contribute to local efforts during the crisis after the match was cancelled.
“I wanted to do something for my 13th birthday to keep motivated in lockdown” Jack said.
“It was amazing to raise so much and I have seen how much food and supplies that has bought. It helps gives positive memories of lockdown for us all” he added.
The RA and Woolwich COVID-19 Mutual Aid Group is a volunteer community effort that provides assistance to those most in need during the crisis.
Volunteers help with collecting and distributing groceries, medical supplies, and also organized a buddy chat system for people living on their own and dealing with loneliness during the lockdown.
The money from the boys’ fundraising campaign will help provide food care packages and the leftover funds will be donated to the Felix Project Food Bank, a London-based food redistribution waste charity.
The JustGiving crowdfunding page is accessible at: https://www.justgiving.com/
photo: the Cray Wanderers at the 2019 Kent County Cup final
