Walkers hoping to raise money
Keynsham Town Walking Football Club are thinking about what it can do to help its members and raise money for good causes during Lockdown 3.0.
On the Keynsham Town website, Walking Football Club chairman Mike Slucutt said: “We had managed to play all three sessions each week from August to October. This was regarded by many as a bit of a bonus as I, for one, did not think we would be playing again that soon when the first lockdown started in March.
“Throughout these hard times last year, we continued to produce our newsletters and even increased the frequency of publication. These can be viewed via the Walking Football Home Page.
“The walking football club has, thanks to its supplier Kitco produced and sold amongst its members, branded sportswear. Richard Iles who manages our dealings with Kitco did a special promotional drive before Christmas and as a result nearly £1,000 of merchandise was sold.
“We were pleased to support this local business and one of the main club’s sponsors. Many items are available such as tracksuit tops, beanies, waterproof jackets and kit bags. We are especially pleased with the new tracksuit top.
“In our last newsletter we were pleased to promote the Justgiving page (www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dazsrock4oscar) which was set up to raise money to help a boy called Oscar Cridge from Longwell Green, to walk again.
“Oscar’s family set out to raise £25,000 for life-changing SDR surgery to help the four-year old Oscar walk unaided and alleviate his daily pain. He is an amazing young man who has cerebral palsy and needs this operation to walk unaided.
“The biggest hope is a surgical procedure called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) which, although invasive, has an extremely high success rate and in the vast majority of cases significantly improves the patient’s quality of life. The procedure aims to reduce tight and stiff muscle tone in the lower limbs and this will reduce the amount of pain he experiences.
“The operation also improves mobility and increases independence. They are hopeful, that eventually, it will lead to Oscar being able to walk independently. The club donated to this page, committee members added more and it was publicised in our newsletter. The total amount raised now stands at nearly £30,000.”