The kit collection was launched a couple of weeks ago and will run all through August. Last time they collected approx. 600 shirts and we've already seen a photo on twitter with donated shirts hanging off the special washing line they have created. If you are in Manchester and haven’t been to the museum do pay them a visit
Many thanks to the hardy team from Affinity Water who took part in this event and ran in KitAid branded t-shirts. There are some good photos on twitter (@kitaid) and FB sites if you haven’t already seen them.
Special thanks to Imran who thought the race was just 5k and it would be split between all 5 runners, only to find out on the night that he had to run the full distance himself! They were some of the very last runners to appear on the track before it was taken up and replaced.
We spent an interesting afternoon last Sunday at this annual event where 3,000+ fans mingled with the players.
We collected a decent amount of kit and made quite a few contacts which will result in later donations.
One positive contact which came out of the afternoon was that Watford Ladies FC are keen to work with us and I am arranging a date for us to hold a collection at one of their future games. Thanks to Sean, Niel and Nick (plus wife and daughter) for helping out on the day.
Next time I will ask not to be stationed next to the mixing desk and PA system as I am still deaf in one ear!
Yet again (after six years of visiting) Derrick came away totally inspired and in awe of the fantastic work carried out by the team at BYFC. The Footy Camp project is absolutely brilliant and the 60 kids have an awesome time. However, as we think most of you know, the project is about so much more than this, and Peter and his team, work incredibly hard to mentor all of the boys and build lasting relationships which go way beyond the 5 days of the footy camp.
This year Bean, who is a true larger than life character, ran the camp which allowed Peter to take more of a back seat role. He did a fantastic job and he also works as one of the youth workers at the BYFC drop in centre full time.
As ever, we all went back to the centre afterwards and it allowed Janet, Dom, Kevin, Steve, Lesley and Robert to see the value of the BYFC work. Peter has secured the funding for the redevelopment of the centre and work is due to start later this year. By the time we go back next year it should be looking good and it will open up a whole new world for the kids in Ballysillan to attend more activities in a much better environment.
We at KitAid are so glad we found Ballysillan YFC and as much as we try to put into words the value and brilliance of their work, we believe you have to go out and see it to really understand it. If you get the chance you really should join us next year and we're sure all of the guys who came with us will echo this.
A massive well done and thanks to Ashley, Rob and Ian who somehow managed to complete the 1,300 mile marathon drive in 23 hours and 10 minutes, which raised an amazing £1,400 plus Gift Aid. In so doing they also managed to avoid having their legs waxed by 50 minutes!
I am really pleased that everything came together and as a project this went really well. We arranged for Ashley to be interviewed twice on BBC 3 Counties radio, press releases were used by the Watford Observer and Royston Crow and the guys obtained separate sponsorship for food and fuel which was brilliant. Please do take a look on our twitter and fb sites as there are photos from all 20 grounds.
The icing on the cake was Watford FC allowing us all into the ground on the Sunday evening where Glyn Evans allowed us to take photos on the pitch and gave us a private tour of the dressing rooms. This was incredibly poignant as Guy was a massive WFC fan and in the welcome home party we also had quite a few Hornets supporters. We look forward to seeing Ashley, Rob and Ian as well as Pauline (Guy’s wife) and other family members at a future boxing up session when they will bring in kit which has been donated by friends and the pupils of Greneway School in Royston, where Ashley and Rob teach.
All of the money raised in memory of Guy is currently being ring fenced for Pauline and the family to decide how they would like it to be used for projects in Lesotho and Malawi. All in all this was a fantastic event and a great achievement by the guys, well done and thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.
Although we tend not to shout about our achievements I am keen that all of our hard work is recognised from time to time. There are not many awards that we can enter as such a small charity, and when we do, we are always up against the big well known charities who have full time staff who can produce super glossy submissions.
Many thanks to Jo Heaton who has come to our rescue by producing a couple of great submissions for the Charity Times and Third Sector awards. We actually won the Third Sector “small charity/big achiever” award in 2006 when we were achieving substantially less than we now are. I will attach the Charity Times submission for info as I think it is a good read and it summarises our achievements really well.
Fingers crossed that the judges can see what we achieve on a miniscule budget entirely with volunteers and hopefully we will be short listed. Watch this space.
We have been chosen as one of the beneficiary charities once again this year and the team of graduates from Affinity Water are busy arranging the event for Sunday 25 October 2015. If you fancy the challenge of a scenic 10 mile run or know some runners, please ask them to enter via www.rickyroadrun.co.uk We will also be looking for help on the morning of the event so please make a note in your diary if you live within driving distance of Rickmansworth.
Well I think these are the main highlights for the past month and as ever, very many thanks to everyone for the support you give to KitAid both out in the regions and closer to home. We do appreciate it and couldn’t manage to achieve so much without you.
We received a request for information from a girl in Canberra who was interested in setting up a similar project to KitAid. After some discussion amongst the Trustees I emailed back to understand exactly how closely they wanted to mirror our operating model, and we have subsequently shared some emails where I have offered advice and some of the lessons we have learned. We will follow up with a Memorandum of Understanding soon, but they have now taken their first steps as they have set up a Facebook page and designed a logo.
They have used our name, although they have created it as two separate words, and we have accepted this as I feel it does add some credibility to what we have achieved over the last 17 years. I do really hope that they make a success of Kit Aid Australia (KAA) and I look forward to meeting up with them one day at a jointly supported project somewhere in Africa.
We received a contact from the family of Guy, who sadly passed away in March. Guy was a Watford supporter and he also supported our work, which he followed through our links with the club and with Graham. The family asked for kit and financial donations at the funeral and we have agreed to ring fence all of the donations for projects in Lesotho and possibly Malawi. Guy had travelled extensively in Africa and had visited both countries.
We have also recently heard from one of his relations who is arranging a fund raising event where he and some friends will try and visit every Premier League club in 24 hours, finishing at Vicarage Road! We hope to help with some publicity and support for what I am sure will be a memorable 24 hours!
To whet your appetite we attach a photo of one of the fantastic framed photos we received of George Best, Peter Osgood, Geoff Hurst, Trevor Brooking and Billy Bremner.
We have decided to hold an auction via our web site link which is currently being set up with the help of Switch and Laura Davis.
Hopefully this will be done soon and we will let you know so that you can help us to publicise it to as many people as possible.
KitAid is a charity founded by Derrick Williams MBE in 1998, to provide kit and equipment to those who do not have access to resources across Africa and the developing world.
Finding a home for your unwanted football kit in Africa and beyond.Kitaid is a charity registered in England & Wales no. 1113968.
Website design & build and hosting donated by Switch.