Teacher to play charity match for fire victims
THE star of Educating Greater Manchester is to take part in a charity football match to help provide a decent funeral for four children who died in a devastating house fire.
Drew Povey, headteacher of Harrop Fold School in Little Hulton which featured in the Channel 4 documentary, will play in the match alongside fellow staff member Gary Chambers and his brother and colleague Ben Povey, on Saturday.
Harrop Fold pupil Demi Pearson, 15, and her siblings Brandon, eight, Lacie, seven, and three-year-old Lia died following a devastating 5am blaze at their home in Jackson Street in Walkden on December 11.
The children’s mother, Michelle Pearson, 35, remains in a critical condition in a coma, unaware her children died in the fire.
More than £22,000 has already been raised towards the children’s funeral, but the people of Walkden will come together again on Saturday, January 6, for another fundraising drive.
Drew Povey will turn out for Walkden-based Vulcan Veterans against Vulcan Young Boys, kick-off is at 11am at the school.
Mr Povey told the M.E.N.: “We want to be part of everything in this community, particularly with something as important as supporting the Pearson family with funeral costs. We know the family very well. Three of them came through our school. We will do whatever we can to support that family.
“I have never known a place like this in terms of pulling together, and looking after each other and looking out for each other. It’s the spirit of Salford at its best. That’s why I love working in this area.”
Collection buckets will be circulating at the match before the event moves to the nearby Vulcan pub at about 2pm.
There will be face-painting, a chocolate tombola, talent shows, bingo, a raffle as well as a game of ‘play your cards right.’
The organisers have also started an on-line auction for a variety of donated goodies, including a music system, a year of free gym membership and signed tops from both Salford Red Devils and Salford FC.
Sums raised will go into a fund set up by the Pearson family to help with funeral costs.
A separate GoFundMe page at www. gofundme.com/4uwssv4 which was set up by the children’s uncle has already raised more than £22,000 towards funeral for the children, who are to be buried side-by-side in customised coffins.
One of the organisers of Saturday’s event, Debi Trent, 54, from Walkden, said: “It’s just devastating and horrendous for that to happen to anybody. My daughter has three children of a similar age.
“She’s done nothing but cry since it happened. And the mother is still fighting for her life and she doesn’t even know her children are dead.”
Zak Bolland, 23, Courtney Brierley, 20, and David Worrall, 25, have been charged with murder and are due to stand trial on April 30.