Children send strips to world’s less fortunate

Young football squad in donation drive

Kind-hearted children in Broughty Ferry have donated kilos of kit for youngsters in less privileged countries worldwide.

Members of Broughty United’s 2007 squad raided their wardrobes, cleared out their lockers and searched through kit bags in search of old, unwanted and unused football gear.

The young team has organised to have the well-loved and usable items sent on to children who would not normally be able to afford equipment, via the charity Blythswood Care.

The group sends support packages to countries including Serbia, Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria, Malawi and Mozambique.

Inspired by their younger teammates, players from other age groups joined in with the donation drive.

The resultant appeal ended by gathering more than 100 old Broughty United football tops, 50 training jackets, boots and socks, which otherwise would just have been lying in the back of cupboards.

Yesterday, representatives from the club met up with charity workers to hand the kit haul over.

Alison Clark, 39, whose son Luca Clark plays in the 2007 side, said the experience had been eye-opening for the children, some of whom were learning about the plights of their Romanian contemporaries for the first time.

She said: “It has been a great effort by the kids across all the teams.

“They are looking forward to finding out from Blythswood where the kits will end up. It has been a bit of an eye-opener for all of them to learn that children elsewhere don’t have these things.”

The Blythswood charity also organise a Christmas shoe box appeal which sees thousands of donated items sent to less fortunate children.

Last festive season, knitters in Perth donated items towards the appeal which saw more than 4,000 care packages stuffed with Christmas gifts sent to orphanages in Romania.

Yesterday’s donation was not the first time Ferry youngsters playing at United have completed good deeds for good causes. In March the United 2010 held a sponsored dribble, raising more than £500 for the Maggie’s Centre.

Picture: Dougie Nicolson. Coach Iain Birnie and Alison Clark, organiser of Kits For Kids, with the strips, balls, boots and training gear collected for Blythswood Care.