Boxing Up – Thank you!

After our most successful year in 2019, when 86,445 items of kit were donated across the developing world, the new decade has started well. At our first boxing up session of 2020, 4,900 items of kit were sorted and boxed by our team of wonderful volunteers.

We were also helped by the Watford FC Community Trust loaning us the use of their minibus to transport kit from our container in Hemel Hempstead to Hatfield. Many thanks to them and to Barry, our volunteer driver. A big thank you also to our wonderful couriers, PCS Logistics Ltd, who delivered five pallets of Cardiff City kit to the session.

The boxing up sessions work like clockwork thanks to the volunteers who get through a mountain of kit in 3 hours. If you would like volunteer and help out at a session please email kitaidcharity@gmail.com.

Here’s to reaching 1Million items by 2024!

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Merry Christmas from KitAid

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Garden City Runners – Thanks

We would like to say a very big thank you to Garden City Runners for donating a wonderful £900 to KitAid from their 2019 Hatfield Business Park race series.

Also a similar thank you to Steve Thake and Peter Dommett from Affinity Water, who host the event. Both Steve and Peter have a big say in which charity is supported.

Well done to all of the runners and thanks to those who also donated kit.

See you in 2020

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Ricky Road Run Sunday 27 October 2019

Calling all (fit) runners to enter the scenic 10 Mile Ricky Road Run, through the beautiful lanes of Chorleywood, Little Chalfont and Rickmansworth.

This event is close to our hearts as it was co-founded in 1984 by KitAid’s founder, Derrick Williams MBE. We also receive a donation every year from the run which is key to helping us meet our annual expenses.

If you like running this is a first class race, with friendly marshals and a very well organised event. For race details please log on to www.rickyroadrun.co.uk.

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KitAid Storage Help Needed

In the last fortnight KitAid has unfortunately lost access to two of its key storage facilities.

This is a significant problem for us as it limits the amount of kit we are able to collect and store. We are currently having to turn donations away, which we really struggle with, knowing the demand for kit in Africa and the developing world.

We need secure, accessible and reasonably priced storage units in Watford or Hemel Hempstead. If you know of any suitable facilities please get in touch as we need to resolve this problem quickly.

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Support from Affinity Water

We were are grateful to Affinity Water and their fantastic staff for choosing KitAid as their charity of the month for August.

Staff donated an amazing £529 through bucket collections and a giant raffle in just one day. Affinity Water have agreed to match the amount donated, resulting in a tremendous total amount of £1,058. A lot of work went in to the day and we are also grateful to the organising team of Pete Dommett, Sharon Hammond, Elaine Nottage, Niel Johnstone and Sean McGuigan.

Affinity Water have supported KitAid throughout our 21 year history with use of facilities and storage space, which are both invaluable to the success of our charity. Many of their staff volunteer for us as well.

Thank You Affinity Water.

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A New Ambassador Club

While the KitAid supporters were out in Malawi they inducted FOMO FC into the Ambassador Club hall of fame.

FOMO FC are the eighth club to be made an Ambassador and only the second club in Africa. The scheme is designed primarily to recognise clubs from the lower leagues who go the extra mile, over a long period of time, in their support of our work.

The specially framed membership certificate was presented to Mary Woodworth at FOMO FC’s Chitakale home ground, where they play in the “Thumbs Up” Malawi Premier League.

Welcome to the Ambassador Club FOMO FC.

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KitAid Malawi Supporters Trip 2019

A group of eight KitAid supporters, which included two experienced coaches from Liverpool County FA, headed out to Mulanje in South East Malawi, for a week in early August. This was our second trip to visit our close partner, FOMO Malawi, and our very good friends Mary and Keith Woodworth.

It was another excellent trip with the group witnessing at first hand the power of kit, in giving the FOMO supported teams proper kit and the chance to express themselves through sport. We attended the brilliant Football and Netball Bonanza tournament which KitAid sponsored, and saw the new full size metal goal posts being used, which we also sponsored.

Stu Carrington and David Pugh from Liverpool FA (LCFA)did a brilliant job coaching the FOMO FC first and reserve teams, and by the end of the week the lads were able to run their own coaching sessions. LCFA will now continue to support the teams with coaching material, equipment and hopefully a further visit next year.

The supporters had a life enhancing experience visiting many of the FOMO run orphan support centres, the FOMO School, Medical Centre, Nurseries and even the FOMO driving school. It was a superb trip and we are eternally grateful to FOMO Malawi for sharing the benefits of our partnership and taking such good care of everyone.

Very many thanks from Fran Dommett, Pamela Johnson, Susan Howie, Lee Seacombe, Thomas Enright, Stu Carrington, David Pugh and Derrick Williams.

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KitAid Patron

At a recent Trustee meeting we discussed the impossible task of how to replace Graham.

It didn’t take us long to realise that we will never find another Patron like Graham and we have decided to leave this position vacant, in some way, as a sign of respect for  what he meant to us all.

We will however, look to find Ambassadors who can show their support for KitAid in the different areas that we represent, such as youth football, girls and ladies football, Africa, South America, Asia, the Premier League, The EFL, Non League,Scottish football,etc etc.

It will take time and I really hope that whoever we invite will respond positively and go on to support us in the same way that Graham did.

If you have any suggestions as to who you think we should approach, or if you can help with the initial introduction, please let me know.

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Some soon to be announced support!

Sometimes it can be hard to keep good news quiet, but as a responsible charity, we have to recognise that potential partnerships can take a lot of discussion and they cannot be announced until the time is right and agreement has been made on both sides.

I cannot make any announcement yet but just to say we are soon to enter into a partnership with another top Premier League club and are entering into some very early discussions with a major motor manufacturer.

The former will hopefully be announced next month but I suspect the latter may take a few more months to agree a working model.

Once again though, exciting times for KitAid, a small charity that is run entirely by volunteers!

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