KitAid Monthly Update – October 2024

Hi all,

I hope you are all well.

October was a busy month in terms of kit donations and here are the latest figures, which show that we have now passed another milestone, passing the 1,100,000 point of donated items.

Total items of kit donated in October  –  10,021
Total items of kit donated in 2024        –  76,922
Total items of kit donated since 1998  –  1,104,370

Boxing Up – Everton/Hatfield

Another successful boxing up session was held on 12 October at St Luke’s, Everton thanks to the Everton Heritage Society team. Over 3,000 items were sorted, boxed and handed over to charities. There were also volunteers from Everton in the Community and KitAid received a donation of £300 from Everton Heritage.
To recognise 10 years of their support, a special presentation was made to Richie, Paul, Bren and Gaz as they each received a commemorative Thank You glass trophy.

Hatfield – our next session and final boxing up of 2024 will be held on 23 November. Thanks to those who have replied to the invitation, and if you are still to do so, please let me know if you can attend. I am hoping we will have some special guests attending and all will be revealed on the day.

KitAid USA

It was great to meet up with Kyle and Ben recently to discuss progress and to plan the official launch, which will be next year in Charlotte. Kyle has made good progress in setting the foundations up and Ben has been supporting on the social media side. The website will soon be available to share.

Ricky Road Run

Last Sunday was the 40th Anniversary of the Ricky Road Run and once again, KitAid was one of the chosen charities. We also had a stand in the hall. Matt Tutton and Keith Hammond both ran the 10 mIles as Team KitAid in very good times. We look forward to hearing from the organising team in due course to see how much the event raised for each of the charities, WaterAid, Small Acts of Kindness and KitAid.

In Memory of Jacky (Davison)

You will remember that very sadly our good friend and long term supporter, Jacky passed away earlier this year. She very kindly left a grant to KitAid and we agreed to use it in her memory for two special projects. Jacky loved supporting children and we agreed that each project should recognise this.

As a result,20 street children in Sierra Leone will now have their school fees met and children from Ballysillan, Belfast will have the equipment needed to support them on camping trips away from home. Thank you to Charlotte, Sam and Jacky’s family and also to the two charities, Laughter Africa and Ballysillan Youth for Christ.

As ever, a very big thank you to all of our volunteers who keep the KitAid wheels turning and the kit coming in and going out. We couldn’t do it without you.

Have a good November and I hope to see some of you either at boxing up, or at the containers in the next few weeks.

Finally, good luck to the very first KitAid Ambassador Club, Chesham United FC, as they take on Lincoln City in the FA Cup on Monday evening. A bit tricky though as Thomas, a KitAid Trustee, is a big Lincoln fan and they have supported us with great kit donations.

Many thanks
Derrick