Youth team raise fantastic amount to help out hospice
East Kilbride Youth Club (EKYC) handed over a cheque for more than £25,000 to Kilbryde Hospice after really going the extra mile.
The News revealed last week that the vital centre’s future had been safeguarded following a massive charity drive after it revealed losses of £90,000 per month as lockdown took hold across the country.
Our‘Save Our Hospice’campaign saw a fantastic response from right across East Kilbride with countless businesses, clubs, schools and other organisations doing whatever they could to help.
The fundraising drive also saw the hospice raise nearly £50,000 of its own £90,000 target.
But EKYC were one of many who dug deep in the wider community and were delighted to hand over the cheque this week.
They held a 100k in 30 days challenge which was rolled out by the club, to their near 300 players and their families.
The club also put up three prizes – a framed and signed‘nine in a row’Celtic top, a fully signed and framed Rangers top and a cocktail party day in your garden.
All donations were then entered into a grand draw with the proceeds from this added to the overall fundraising.
Handing over the donation was 2008 coach Mark Howarth, who together with his wife Tracey, daughter Elysia and son Ashton, carried out their own 100k challenge to kick start the club challenge.
Hospice chief executive Gordon McHugh said:“Because of the current crisis, young people across our communities, routines, their connection with friends and regular involvement in the activities they love, supported by EKYC FC have been severely hampered.
“I cannot begin to tell you what it means to have been involved with this group of young people, their families, and their coaches over the last six months.
“What they have achieved through good communication, a zest for keeping young people fit and healthy, mentally, and physically has seen them gift our hospice this amazing amount of money.
“I can go as far to say that these young people are true ambassadors of Kilbryde and are the future of our hospice.”