Hi all,
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and wishing everyone a happy, healthy and fulfilling New Year.
This will be a shorter than usual update as the main purpose is to share the end of year totals but mostly to thank you all for your support during 2024. KitAid is a big team effort and without your help we couldn’t deliver anywhere near as much as we do. THANK YOU.
Here are the end of year totals
Total items of kit donated in December = 5,977
Total items of kit donated in 2024 = 97,529
Total items if kit donated since 1998 = 1,124,979
This is a fantastic achievement, especially considering we were celebrating reaching the 1 Millionth item in September 2023. I guess the next big milestone is 1,250,000 and fingers crossed we are nudging this figure at the end of 2025.
2025 Thank You Certificates
They are printed and ready to post off to the Regional Coordinators who are not close to Hatfield or Hemel Hempstead. Thank you to Carole P for the design and for arranging printing. I will attach a copy to this update and as postage has increased so much, if you are able to use the e-version, it will save some money. However, if you are meeting the kit donor then please do hand a certificate over as we know they are appreciated.
FOMO (Malawi) Football/Netball Bonanza
As I write this update teams in Mulanje are battling to get into tomorrow’s semi finals and I have just seen on Facebook that our boys, KitAid FC U14, won their quarter final match 2-0. The semifinal and final will be held tomorrow for the football and netball tournaments and I will post updates on @kitaid X/Twitter and @kitaidcharity Instagram/ Facebook sites.
We have sponsored the Bonanza with a donation of £1,000. Times are really tough for everyone in Malawi at the moment with food prices and inflation rocketing. The Bonanza is a great event and over 1,000 children participate. They receive treats and special food during the 5 days and prize money for the winners and runners up. They have to spend their winnings on items for their centre, such as plates or curtains, which is a lovely way of teaching responsibility and pride in their achievement.
KitAid USA
Ben and Kyle have started the journey and so far have donated over 1,000 items of kit to projects in Asia and Africa.. There will be an official launch in Charlotte in March 2025 along with an auction to raise funds for the operational side.
With support from the charity Sports Friends, who both Ben and Kyle work for, they are looking to focus operations in Wisconsin and Charlotte and build up slowly across other States. Good luck guys and we are here for advice and support whenever you need it.
Annual Review 2024/25
We didn’t produce a report for 2023/24 as the 25th Anniversary brochure covered it all.
I will soon start to draft the report but will need some help in capturing the key events from 2024. Some stories are obvious, such as the Mo Farah support, but could I ask for your help please.
What stories/events would you like to see included in the 8 page Annual Review? What are the main KitAid highlights from 2024?
To finish on a positive note, here is a reply from Mary Woodworth from FOMO Malawi, when she saw the end of year totals
“Great achievement, and many more lives changed for the better, thank you.”
I don’t think we could ask for much more than this, knowing that your efforts and support have changed peoples lives is wonderfully rewarding.
Here’s to more of the same in 2025.
Thank You and Happy New Year
Derrick
Hi all,
I hope you are all well and looking forward to the festive season.
November was a very busy month for KitAid and here are the key highlights and up to date totals.
Total number of items donated in November – 14,630
Total number of items donated in 2024 – 91,552
Total number of items donated since 1998 – 1,119,000
Boxing Up – Hatfield
The final session of 2024 proved to be another memorable event with over 7,000 items and 204 boxes and bags being sorted and packed by the team. It was also memorable as we invited two entirely different guests. The first was the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, Annie Brewster, who represents King Charles, and the second guest was Alfie Watts, recent joint winner of the BBC series, “Race Across the World”. Annie is dedicating her year in office to sport across the County and Alfie has delivered kit we have donated to projects in Malaysia and Mauritius.
They were both really taken aback by the sheer volume of kit we sort , box and donate and left the session knowing a lot more about KitAid.
We were also joined by volunteers from the Hertfordshire FA Youth Council who enjoyed the event and we look forward to seeing them in the future.
More than just football
Although KitAid is predominantly a football supporting charity we have branched out into different sports in recent years, such as athletics, tennis, netball, golf and cricket. This is now becoming more apparent in terms of the kit donations we are receiving. Recently the English Cricket Board, who were recommended to KitAid by Manchester United, donated 4 pallets of brand new England kit. The Lawn Tennis Association, who were recommended to us by the ECB, donated 3 pallets of brand new tennis clothing. We also received 6,000 brand new golf balls from Wentworth, which are destined for projects in Ghana and The Gambia. We are shortly expecting a large donation of kit from Nike UK.
All of the above clearly shows that KitAid is recognised as a trusted charity and we are growing year by year.
Financial Donations
Even though our operating budget is miniscule, less than £15,000 per annum, and we receive no grants, we are still able to support our charity partners financially when the balance allows. In November we made two grants.
- £1,000 to support the Christmas/New Year football/netball bonanza in Malawi.
- £200 to purchase footballs to support Ryan Tomlin FC in Sierra Leone.
Food prices have rocketed in Malawi and our very good friends, Friends of Mulanje Orphans, are having a very difficult time feeding the 2,000+ orphans they support every day of the year. Some of us have been lucky to witness the Bonanza and it is something that brings immense happiness and pride to all of the children who take part. With the current food situation the Bonanza was going to be scaled back this year, but hopefully our donation will now allow all of the children to take part and celebrate Christmas/New Year together.
Ryan Tomlin was a soldier in the British Army from Hemel Hempstead, who tragically was killed while on duty in Afghanistan. His best friend recently visited his home country of Sierra Leone and with kit donated, he formed a new football team in Freetown, called Ryan Tomlin FC. They also needed good quality footballs and our donation of £200 allowed him to buy footballs which will survive the rough terrain.
KitAid has always adopted the principle of rather than building up surplus funds, when the situation allows, we will make grants to support our charity partners.
Social Media
Ben W has done an excellent job in enhancing our social media presence through Linkedin, You Tube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. The Film Friday clips are fantastic and really helpful in getting stories told visually.
We have our biggest following on Twitter/X with over 4,000 followers. On Instagram in the past week our followers increased by 70 thanks to Alfie Watts promoting KitAid to his many thousands of followers.
If I could make a request, if you have an Instagram account, please follow kitaidcharity. I fear with the direction Twitter/X has taken in charging for things and making it less friendly to use, Instagram will be our main source of promotion and we need to bolster the number of followers we have. I have tried to be diplomatic by not mentioning the owner of Twitter/X!!!
2024 Christmas Card
The new Christmas Card has kindly been designed by Carole P and is attached for you to send out to your contacts. The 2025 Thank You certificate is also in the final stages of sign off and will be available once printed. I will send printed copies to those that need them as well as an electronic copy to save on postage.
Very many thanks to Carole who retired from her design job a few years ago but has continued to support KitAid
Click for downloadable PDF Xmas Card 24
Lobengula City Queens – Zimbabwe
It is always great to be able to finish the monthly update with a positive story.
We have supported the Lobengula City Queens for a number of years through our partnership with the charity Majinkila Hope Foundation in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The girls team has been developing into a formidable squad and they proudly wear kit donated by the English FA.
Six of the girls who play in the U17 team have recently been called up by the Zimbabwe U17 National squad and two of the U15 girls have also been selected for their age group. This is really incredible for a team that hasn’t been together for many years and it shows how important kit donations are, as without a proper kit, the team would have been excluded from playing together in a formal league.
Look out for updates on our social media sites
Well I think that is everything other than to say a very big thank you to everyone for your support.
An end of year update will be sent out before the Christmas close down and until then, take care and thanks again.
Derrick
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
Hi all,
I hope you are all well.
September has been another busy month and here are the latest totals
Total items of kit donated in September – 8,990
Total items of kit donated in 2024 – 66,901
Total items of kit donated since 1998 – 1,094,349
As you can see, we are now very close to reaching 1.1M items of donated kit, which I like as it is 100,000 items for every position on the pitch! That is more than a full Wembley Stadium for every position!
Courier Needed
Unfortunately our long standing courier partner has changed their business model and can now only collect for us in the London area. This is a big setback for KitAid as most of our donations are from all across the UK. The Regional Co-ordinators do a fantastic job in collecting for us in their areas but we use the couriers for the bigger donations of more than 10 full bin bags.
I have a meeting with the couriers on Thursday to see if they can recommend any other companies, If anyone knows of a suitable company please let me know.
Our biggest issue is that most courier companies only want to pick up loads that are already on pallets, whereas all of our collections are loose bags and boxes. I am currently turning down offers of kit, which is hard to do, but until we find a new courier we cannot collect as much. If you do have any contacts or suggestions please let me know.
Rickmansworth Road Run – Sunday 27 October.
This event is close to our heart as I co-founded it way back in 1984, again as a “one off” celebration run! This year will be the 40th Anniversary, how time flies, and KitAid is one of the chosen charities.
Matt T, our regional coordinator for Hitchin, is running for KitAid and he is looking for some other runners to join Team KitAid. If you, or any of your friends, are up to running 10 miles through the lovely Chiltern countryside, then please sign up and join Matt.
Entries are via www.rickyroadrun.co.uk
Matt has also set up a Just Giving page via https://www.justgiving.com/team/teamkitaid
Boxing Up Sessions
A successful boxing up session was held on Saturday at Hatfield with 155 boxes being packed and handed over to the charities who attended. Many thanks to all of the volunteers who were able to attend.
The next session is just around the corner, as our good friends, Everton Heritage Society, are holding one on the morning of Saturday 12 October at St Luke’s Church, Goodison, Liverpool. If you are within travelling distance of Liverpool or fancy a weekend break, you will receive a big Scouse welcome. We will also be recognising 10 years of support by Everton Heritage Society and Everton FC at the session.
KitAid medals
To supplement the Thank You certificates we have also produced a lovely KitAid medal, in the shape of a football shirt on a red/white ribbon. They are intended for people who go the extra mile, and especially for younger supporters. If you would like some for your area or know of anyone who you think deserves one, please let me know.
Diamonds in the Community – Airdrie
Last week our very good friends and charity partner won a Provost Award for their outstanding services to the community in North Lanarkshire. A very big congratulations from KitAid and we are very proud to have been alongside Dougy and the team from the start of their journey. We are sure to be visiting them again next year for the Glasgow Kiltwalk, so if you fancy a leisurely 14 mile stroll and a few shandies we can celebrate the award with them in 2025!
The Positive End Story!
I always like to finish these updates on a positive note and this is another lovely story. Antonia, our RC for the Bristol area received a very big donation of Bristol City FC shirts from two sons who were clearing their Fathers house. He was the BCFC kit manager during the 1980’s, When she brought them up to Hatfield, for a boxing up session, Adam, one of the volunteers, immediately recognised that the shirts were rare and from the 1980’s.
Although from time to time we do spot a rare shirt we cannot auction or sell them as the donor Club insists that they leave Europe. However, as these came from the family we thought we would ask and offer to share any profit with another charity of their choice. Once Antonia explained the work we do they said they would be happy to let KitAid have all of the proceeds.Adam then offered to act as the point of contact and he set up an Ebay sales point.
Some of the shirts sold for £340 each and so far Adam has raised £3,400 for KitAidWe have also been contacted by the Club historian at BCFC and we have donated some shirts for a new museum they are in the process of setting up.
Thank you to the family, Antonia and Adam, for helping raise much needed funds for KitAid.
I hope you all have a good October and if you do know of a courier company who might be able to help with collections, storage and delivery to Hemel Hempstead, please let me know.
Thanks for your support.
Derrick
Hi all,
I hope you have all had a good month and have enjoyed a break. August is always a slow month for KitAid as so many people are on holiday, but even so, there is always a lot going on in the background. Here are the latest totals.
Total items donated in month = 1,944
Total items donated in 2024 = 57,911
Total items donated since 1998 = 1,085,359
KitAid USA
KitAid is now officially registered with the IRS in America and our reach is extended to another Continent. Many thanks to Kyle who has started things off Stateside. It will operate in Wisconsin to start with and then gradually expand to other States.
KitAid USA will be entirely independent but Ben Wildman will sit as a Director to act as a liaison between the two charities. Ben has already started to set up the social media side and please do follow online via
Twitter/X Facebook – @kitaidusa
Instagram -@KitAid_USA
Watch this space and online as KitAid USA takes off.
Afi Amezado – The Ghanaian Golf Girl
Afi arrived in the UK in mid August and since then she has been on a whirlwind tour of golf tournaments across Hertfordshire.
Through KitAid connections/supporters we have been able to create an incredible package for her. She has played at top courses such as The Grove and Moor Park and thanks to Ross from Five Star Trophies, she has been given access to West Herts GC to practice in between tournaments.
So far she has played in seven junior tournaments and has won Nearest the Pin at Welwyn Garden City, 2nd girl at Verulam and 1st girl at Manor of Groves.
She has adapted brilliantly and has gone from playing on a fairly basic course in Accra to playing on some World class greens. Afi comes from a very poor background, lives in a shipping container with five siblings sleeping in one room, and she has made many friends already.
A busy schedule has been created for September and KitAid has handed the day to day running to Ian Dell, our Regional Coordinator for Cambridge. Good luck to Afi for the rest of her stay and we really hope she finds a sponsor to help her develop into a professional golfer.
The Belfry – BETFRED British Masters
Today is the final day of the British Masters and KitAid has provided 21 volunteers across all five days to run the Chipping event and to collect donated golf kit for the Fafali Golf project in Accra.
Many thanks to all of the volunteers who have had an early start, driving to Sutton Coldfield for a 7-45am set up. It has been a wonderful experience and everyone has thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We have met hundreds of potential new supporters and received some great kit to support the project and new golfers in Ghana.
A massive thank you to Emilia Gilliland from the European Golf Tour for her support and hospitality every day.
As I write this update Afi and her coach, John, are being driven to the Belfry to experience VIP Hospitality in the Sir Nick Faldo suite for the final day of the tournament. Fingers crossed, in a couple of years, we could see Afi competing in a major tournament.
Royston Golf Club – Senior Captains Day
Many thanks to Ian Dell for dedicating his Captains Day to KitAid.
He raised £550 on the day and I was able to give a short presentation on our work to club members. Afi and John were made to feel very welcome and they were each given special gifts to commemorate their visit.
BBC 3 Counties – Non League Show
If you are at a loss for something to do at 6-15pm tomorrow (Monday 2nd Sept) evening, I will be interviewed about the links KitAid has with Non League football clubs across the country. We do have many links with FC United of Manchester, Chesham United, Marine, Witton Albion, Leverstock Green all being Ambassador Clubs. Kings Langley FC are currently holding kit collections for us at all home games in September.
KitAid works!
I think the following story indicates how KitAid is not only resilient but our network works.
Darren P received an email offering 300 brand new kits for toddlers. Darren is based in Milton Keynes and the kits were in Norfolk. He passed the contact on and I spoke to the grandmother of the girl we featured in the last monthly update who won Miss Teen Norwich. She agreed to get her son to contact the person, who then put him in touch with her daughter who had all of the kits in her garage in Wymondham. He collected all of the kits, drove them to his mother in Amersham the next day and I will collect them on Thursday to take them back to Hemel Hempstead!!
I honestly cannot imagine many of the top 100 charities would go to these lengths to save a £100 courier collection fee. KitAid works!!!
I don’t think I have ever written a monthly update with hardly any mention of football before, but it shows how KitAid is doing as the name suggests, and providing kit across multi sports.
Thanks everyone for your support and here’s to a great September.
Derrick
Hi all,
I hope you are well and enjoying the heatwave.
July was a very successful and busy month, here are the latest totals:
Total items donated in July – 17,044
Total items donated in 2024 – 55,967
Total items donated since 1998 – 1.083,415
As well as one of the biggest boxing up sessions ever, there were 19 individual charity visits to the containers in Hemel Hempstead with kit starting the journey to 16 different countries.
British Masters Golf – The Belfry
Many thanks to everyone who has volunteered to help at this five day event. Altogether we will have 21 volunteers on site to collect donated kit and to manage a special “chipping” competition for kit donors. This is the first time we have attended an event over five days and it is testament to how KitAid has grown and to how we are recognised. It is also positive that we can operate in another sport and we now receive kit from multiple different sports, including cricket, hockey, athletics, bowls, netball.
Afi Amezado
Unfortunately Afi’s visa did not receive clearance in time which meant that she was unable to attend the World Junior Championship in Scotland as well as the Scottish Open. The visa has now been approved and Fafali charity have gained sponsorship for her flights so she will be competing in some local junior tournaments in Hertfordshire. Thanks to Ian Dell for arranging for her to compete in his Captains Day event at Royston Golf Club.
Race Across the World
If you watched the latest BBC series you will recall Alfie Watts and his friend Ollie winning the race. Alfie is from St Albans and he was a volunteer at the WFC Community Trust, as well as being good friends with one of our boxing up stalwarts.
He has just left for Malaysia with a lot of kit which he will donate to one of the places he visited on his RATW trip. He will also be holding an auction during the trip with the proceeds being shared between KitAid, Charity Boots and a local charity in Malaysia.
You can follow Alfie’s trip on his social media channels @_alfiewatts_
Ballysillan Belfast Football Camp
A small group of KitAid supporters visited the Football Camp and as ever, came away in awe of the incredible work carried out by the Ballysillan Youth For Christ team. Some of you will have heard Pete and Bean speaking at our Anniversary Celebration dinners, and they are both incredibly inspirational people.
We co-sponsored the event again this year and over 90 boys and girls had an incredible week. It is so much more than a football camp though as the coaches work with the kids as mentors and develop long standing relationships through the Bluehouses Centre. if you would like to visit next year please let me know.
Its more than just a shirt…… Another inspirational story
I was recently contacted by a teenager who wanted to collect kit for us as part of a charity drive. She explained that she has ADHD and was bullied at school so found activities such as this quite difficult.
She received some support and persevered by contacting all of the schools in her city. She had attended some of the same schools but had left due to bullying and non attendance.
I was contacted by her Nan to say that she had collected lots of kit and this was a huge success for her personally as she had overcome some fears and had been motivated to concentrate on the task. Something she had previously struggled with due to her ADHD. She now wants to continue collecting kit.
It really is more than just a shirt, in so many different ways.
As I am writing this update Niel, one of our long standing volunteers, is driving down the M6/M1 with a van load of kit he has collected from Sale. Niel lives near Barnsley, he collected the van in Leeds, then drove to Sale to meet Regional Co-ordinator Peter M, who had kindly stored all of the boxes in his garage for a couple of months. They then loaded the van. I will meet Niel at the containers at 3pm, unload, and then he will head straight back to the M1 to return the van to Leeds.
This is why KitAid continues, thanks to the incredibly generous volunteers we have who go the extra mile to make a difference. Thank You to all of our volunteers.
Have a great August.
Derrick
June has been a busy month and here are the latest totals and updates. This is also our 26th Birthday edition as KitAid was formed in early July 1998 when I returned from Tanzania. I wonder where the boy, now a man, is who was wearing the ragged Liverpool shirt?
Total items of kit sent out in June = 6,603
Total items of kit sent out in 2024 = 38,923
Total items of kit sent out since 1998 = 1,066,371
Boxing Up – Hatfield
Thanks to those who have replied to the invitation to attend the next boxing up session on Saturday 13 July. We are low on attendees, if you are still to reply or are reading this and would like to join in, please let me know asap.
Courier Collections/Storage/Finances
We are victims of our own success and the sheer volume of kit on offer has actually become a problem.
As much as we don’t like doing so, we have had to put a notice on the “Kit Donations” section of our website to say that we are temporarily stopping collections of kit by courier. This is necessary as the couriers cannot keep up with the jobs we are raising and we need a short break to let them catch up. Storage is also a juggling act and both containers are continually full meaning that we have had to take out extra storage. This in turn impacts our finances as we are now spending £524 every month for storage and a similar amount for courier collections, sometimes more. With only £8,000 currently in our account it doesn’t take a genius to see that if no more income is received we are only financially viable until February next year!
We have been in worse positions and with careful management we will pull through, but I think it is important to be transparent and explain why we are currently not accepting donations that incur a courier cost. If anyone has any suggestions or would like further information please let me know.
Runwell Sports
As a part of his “25 for 25” Challenge last year, Barrie N visited Runwell Sports in Essex and built a lasting relationship with the Club. At the end of May they held a charity match to raise funds for KitAid. The event raised £545 which is an incredible gesture, even more so, as the Club are Crowdfunding to meet ground grading requirements for their league.
Well done to Barrie on building such a strong partnership and we will soon be presenting the Club with a special shield to recognise their generosity.
KitAid Golf
Over recent months we have not only supported golf projects in Ghana and the young protege, Afi Amezado, but we have received some wonderful kit from the Ryder Cup 2023. The European Golf Tour who are based at Wentworth have been very supportive with wonderful kit donations and support of Afi, who will be competing in the World Junior Championships in Scotland in July.
KitAid has also been invited to attend and collect kit at a major tournament at the end of August at the World famous Belfry venue. We are looking for volunteers to help “man” the stand as currently we do not have enough people. If you would like to help or require more information could you please let me know.
Summer Tournaments/Awards Events
In May and June we attended events at Garston Ladies, Harpenden Colts, Cuffley and Kings Langley.
Many thanks to Dave A, Ed V, John B, Susan H and family for their help at each event. The sun shone at most events apart from at King Langley where we were very fortunate to have use of a sturdy gazebo to shelter from torrential downpours.
KitAid USA
A second meeting was held recently and good progress is being made registering the charity in the State of Wisconsin. Thanks to Ben W for helping to move things along and week by week the “to do” list is getting shorter. Once the social media sites are up and running we will share them for you to follow.
Jacky Davison
Last Monday we said goodbye to one of our longest serving volunteers and we would like to pay our respects to Jacky in this update. Jacky first contacted me in 1998 following an article which appeared in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette. She quickly started to collect kit from her neighbours and friends as she had two boys who were both football mad. She went on to collect toys and also became a very good friend to FOMO Malawi.
Following her funeral we have received donations amounting so far to £1,130 which we will allocate to projects in memory of Jacky. We would like to thank her family for their support and wish them strength. We will miss you Jacky and are forever grateful for your support and encouragement.
As always, thanks to everyone for your support of KitAid and I look forward to seeing some of you at the Hatfield boxing up session on the 13th.
April was another busy month for KitAid and it was great to get out to visit charity partners across these fair isles. The totals are growing and here are the latest figures.
Total items of kit donated in April – 5,320
Total items of kit donated in 2024 – 22,835
Total items donated since 1998 – 1,050,283
Glasgow Kiltwalk – Diamonds in the Community
We were delighted to take part in the biggest ever Kiltwalk last Sunday as part of the wonderful Diamonds in the Community (DITC) team. The sun shone and the 14 miles along the banks of the River Leven to Balloch and Loch Lomond were beautiful.
If you attended our 25th Anniversary celebration you will have heard Dougy Allsop speaking about the incredible community work DITC delivers. We have been supported by Dougy and his team for 10 years as they operate as the main Hub for KitAid across Scotland. They now deliver a wide range of support programmes for Airdrie and surrounding communities. They are a wonderful team and it was great to join them for their biggest fundraising event of the year and to present them with a special recognition of 10 years partnership.
Thanks to Mark Smith and Steve Andersen who also took part and we will definitely be returning next year, with hopefully a bigger team from KitAid. There is a choice of walking distances from 3, 14 or 23 miles and you don’t have to wear a kilt!
FC United of Manchester kit amnesty
From sunny Glasgow to liquid sunshine in Moston!!
I arrived at the ground soon after midday to meet regional coordinator Peter Moulds outside the ground. A visit to the stands saw a very soggy, rain soaked pitch and some concerned officials! Fortunately the rain stopped and the ground staff cleared away some goalmouth puddles, which allowed the game to go ahead.
We were joined outside the stadium by Gillian and Chris Coxhead from FOMO Malawi, as they had travelled down from Preston to help with the collection. And to hold on to our display to stop it taking off in the Manchester breeze! A car load of kit was donated and it will all be heading off to Malawi in the next few months.
Thanks to Peter for arranging the collection and to the Club for their hospitality. They won the game 3-0 so all in all, a good day out.
“Say it with a Smile”
I am always intrigued how the KitAid story resonates with different groups and it was lovely to be invited to give a presentation to this dementia support group in Watford. Football is a universal language and with the lovely film stories we now have, it is easy to share the good news.
“Say it with a Smile” is a volunteer run charity and we have close links as Hannah who runs it and some of her volunteers all worked at the WFC Community Trust and some also volunteer for KitAid. As a result of the presentation we will be donating some kit for a project in Kenya as one of the attendees is a trustee for the charity involved.
Boxing Up/Kit Donations
Our next boxing up session is on Saturday morning at Hatfield. If by chance you are reading this and still to respond we would love to see you.
We have received some wonderful kit donations recently, from The FA, Liverpool FC Foundation, Manchester United, British Canoeing, European Golf Tour, Reading FC as well as many donations to regional coordinators across the country. Storage is always an issue but fortunately we can turn things around quickly as we have so many people asking for kit. Our couriers, PCS Logistics Ltd, have also been really helpful in terms of offering emergency storage when the containers are full.
Thanks to all of our RC’s for collecting and storing the kit too.
FILM Friday
You may have noticed a theme on a Friday morning as Ben issues his latest blockbuster on X/Linkedin. They are great and he kindly edits some of our older film clips and makes them into a short story.
Our number of followers on all social media sites is creeping up and we are just 10 followers away from reaching 4,000 on X/Twitter.
HELP NEEDED
On 11 May we have been given a stand to collect kit at a Hertfordshire Girls all day tournament in Bushey.
On 15 June we have been invited to have a stand at Kings Langley YFC community day.
Both events are in the Watford area but I need some help to attend at both events and we need a gazebo and table for Kings Langley. Please let me know if you can help.
Well I think that is everything for April, save to say, thanks very much for your support and for being an integral part of Team KitAid.
Have a good May
Derrick
March was a busy month for KitAid with some significant events and with some really big kit donations arriving. Here are the latest totals and the latest news stories.
Total items donated in March – 6,860
Total items donated in 2024 – 17,515
Total items donated since 1998 – 1,044,963
London Stadium Walk
A massive congratulations and thank you to Chris Turton and James Richings on completing the 3 day, 68 mile walk from the Emirates Stadium to the Bobby Moore statue in 148,000 steps!
They completed the challenge and so far have raised £1,552 for KitAid, which is an incredible achievement.
They even managed to get pitch side at most of the stadiums for a photo with the banner after explaining what the challenge was for. James “popped” a muscle in his foot on the final day and he had to hobble from Loftus Road to Wembley after being bandaged up by Chris. I met them at the Bobby Moore statue with a bottle of bubbly and a trophy along with Chris’s Dad and James’ wife and Mum.
They met all of the accommodation, travel and food costs themselves and their Just Giving page is still open for a few more weeks, See https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-turton-james-andteam1705612763068
International Sports Convention – London
We attended this two day gathering at the Spurs stadium and were honoured to be the chosen charity for the event. A very big thank you to Nigel Fletcher and his team for making us so welcome.
It was a fantastic opportunity to network with many different sporting delegates and we were given our own stand to meet people and display pictures and material. We met a lot of interested parties from a multitude of different sports to share the KitAid story with. We have built new contacts and can now follow up with some to strengthen our relationship.
All in all it was a great experience which can only benefit our work and reputation.
Social Media sites
Ben W has been helping me with our social media output and his skills have certainly boosted the content since he got involved. He has created some wonderful videos and set up a new LinkedIn site and YouTube Channel.
He has created the following link to all of our sites, see https://linktr.ee/KitAid.net
The YouTube link is great as he has created a library of all of our film clips, many of which I suspect you will not have seen before. The LinkedIn site proved incredibly valuable at the ISC event as most people used it as their preferred communication tool.
Very many thanks Ben and if you currently do not follow us on X/Instagram/FB or LinkedIn please do as there are updates and film clips nearly every day.
FC United of Manchester collection
Ambassador Club, FC United of Manchester, will be hosting a kit collection for us at their match on Saturday 13 April.
Thanks to Regional Coordinator Peter M for arranging this and if you would like to join us on the day to help, please let me know. It is a great experience and the fans create a great experience regardless of how things are going for them on the pitch!
Fafali Golf visit
It is a few months away but in August there will be a visit from 5 young golfers from the Fafali Golf project in Accra, Ghana.
You may already know the story of how by chance they discovered that Afi Amazedo was a highly talented golfer, despite none of the children ever having played golf before. Afi will be competing in the World Junior Championship in Scotland in July and she will then be joined by 4 of her team in August when they visit Watford. We are looking to enter them into as many Junior Tournaments across Hertfordshire in August and so far Ian D has kindly arranged for them to take part in the Knebworth and Royston events. KitAid will also sponsor them for another.
We will be looking for help in driving them to and from events if you are in the area and free to help.
KitAid USA!
Although still in its very early stages we have started discussions on the possibility of setting up a satellite version of KitAid across the pond.
In the same way that KitAid Australia exists, it will run entirely independently but use the same/adapted model. We already have a partnership with the charity Sports Friend, who operate in the USA and the UK, and they have introduced us to MAI, who are keen to partner with us.
I think this proves how the KitAid model works as it is simple but effective.
Hatfield Boxing Up
We are hoping to hold another boxing up session in late April once the storeroom fills up. It is currently half full and we are looking to move some kit from the containers in Hemel Hempstead to clear space there and to fill up the room. If you know anyone who has a van we can use and/or, you are free to help in the next couple of weeks, please let me know.
I think that is everything, other than thanking you all for your support of KitAid and wishing you a wonderful April.
Many thanks
Derrick
I hope you are all well and enjoying this (rainy!) extra day of 2024.
Here are the latest totals as of today.
Total items sent out in February – 3,710
Total items sent out in 2024 – 10,655
Total items sent out since 1998 – 1,038,103
Grassroots Magazine
We have received tremendous coverage in the above online magazine which focuses on all things non league and grassroots football across Essex.
Our relationship came about thanks to Regional Co-ordinator Barrie N contacting them at the start of his “25 for 25” Challenge when he visited 25 Clubs across Essex. Since then we have appeared in 13 issues, often with 3 or 4 page articles as well as appearing on front covers. Thanks to Barrie for writing articles and for keeping the relationship strong.
Here is a link to the last issue, which as you can see includes Sir Mo at our last Hatfield boxing up session.
https://issuu.com/grassrootsmagonline/docs/grass_roots_feb_24
Regional HUB’s
Although KitAid works predominantly from our storage units in Hemel Hempstead and Hatfield, we are very fortunate to have two other sites in Merseyside and Scotland.
Thanks to our close links with Everton Heritage Society in Liverpool and Diamonds in the Community in Airdrie kit is stored and also handed over to charities from these sites.
A big thank you to Richie and Paul in Liverpool and to Dougie and Gordon in Scotland for making this happen.
It is also incredibly helpful for the charities who collect kit from these sites as otherwise they would have to travel hundreds of miles to Hertfordshire.
London Football Ground Sponsored Walk
In a few weeks time, on March 20, 21 and 22, Chris T our Aylesbury RC, and a couple of friends, will be walking to every EFL/PL ground in London, in support of KitAid. Over all 3 days they will walk 67 miles starting from Arsenal on Wednesday morning and eventually finishing on Friday afternoon at the Bobby Moore statue at Wembley.
This is an incredibly tough task, made even more arduous by having to drop down to Sutton United, adding on extra miles. Unfortunately they couldn’t find a sponsor to cover their costs and are meeting accommodation, travel and food expenses themselves. To save money they are staying in shared Air B&B rooms, and from a picture I saw, even an Estate Agent would struggle to write a glowing reference for a room with 3 bunk beds and not enough space to swing a cat!
We appreciate times are tough for everyone, but if you are able to sponsor them I know they would appreciate it. It will make those miles to Sutton more bearable, knowing they will most likely be relegated to non-league if they had left the walk until June!! Here is a link to their Just Giving page
https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-turton-james-andteam1705612763068
FOMO FC – Promoted to the Malawi Super League
They finally did it, despite the original referee being bribed in favour of the opposition, which fortunately was discovered before the match.
It is an incredible achievement as the team is mostly made up of orphans supported by our very good friends FOMO Malawi. The town of Mulanje has never had a Super League side and following their Play Off victory, there were celebrations for many days. The Super League season starts on 1 April and it will be very tough for the guys both on and off the pitch.
Congratulations to Mary Woodworth, who has always been the driving force in giving young people in Mulanje sporting opportunities. We are proud to have supported Mary with kit donations and some project sponsorship over many years. We are looking into a project to help them raise funds as they will have additional costs playing at the top level.
Social Media sites
Some of you will be aware that we now have a LinkedIn site which is growing in followers. Thanks to Ben W who manages this for us, with regular updates. Ben also arranged for me to be interviewed on the Sports Friends podcast #AlreadyWon
If you are a regular LinkedIn user please follow us and share our stories to spread the word.
Thanks to all of our Regional Co-ordinators and volunteers who do a fantastic job in collecting and storing kit for us. This is the engine room which keeps KitAid running like a well oiled Formula 1 machine. We are building up stock for the next kit sorting session at Hatfield which will hopefully be in early April.
Have a good March and thank you for your support.
Derrick