Lads walk back from Everton to fund travel cost
FIVE boys raised hundreds of pounds by walking to Southport from Everton’s football ground, Goodison Park.
The boys, all aged eight or nine, are members of the Southport Under 9s football team and raised around £850 to fund a trip to a tournament.
Jack Brookfield, Tyler McAvoy, Harry Hunter, Daniel Bendle and Daniel Barrett, from Southport, started the 17-mile journey at 7am on Saturday (February 3) and returned to Southport at 4.30pm.
The event was planned in order to fund a three-day Yorkshire football tournament in May, to ensure every member of the team was able to attend.
It was organised by football coach Simon Ashcroft and his partner, Louise Brookfield.
Louise said: “We were discussing group fundraising activities, and my son suggested doing the walk. He is mad about Southport [football club] and about Everton, so it made sense.
“It came after we were explaining to him that not everyone is in a position to attend the tournament, as it is very expensive, so he wanted to do something to help all the team members.”
The boys all struggled at times with the walk but were able to encourage each other to carry on.
Louise added: “It was really good, the boys all struggled at points in the walk but they managed to support each other to get each other through it.”
The initial plan was for them to walk to Southport’s football stadium on Haig Avenue in time to watch the Southport v Telford match, which was unfortunately cancelled. But the boys’ family and friends were still waiting at the stadium with cakes, to cheer them on the last few steps of their epic effort.
If you would like to find out more about the event, or make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/crowd funding/southportunder9s.