Wearside support keeps the red and white army in Kenya smiling
Just look at the smiles on the faces of these African villagers – and it’s all thanks to the outstanding people of Sunderland and County Durham.
Donations of shoes, shirts, jumpers and even teddy bears have been handed out to the people of Keroche, in Kenya, and they were all given thanks to donations from the Wearside area.
The Echo told in December how an appeal had gone out for donations and it had been made by Gary Lamb.
Gary is the president of Sunderland AFC Keroche, which he originally founded with John Eilbeck. Gary said none of the team’s success would have been possible without the support of John.
The village of Karai, in Kenya, is the home of Sunderland AFC Keroche football team.
Established in 2012, the football team relies on donations from SAFC fans.
It has enjoyed huge success in recent seasons and the team, which plays in donated Black Cats strips, will be playing in the National Division 1 next year after a dramatic end to the season.
Gary is just back from a visit to Keroche and he said: “It was amazing. Some of the most memorable moments of this visit were when we distributed items such as shoes
to the most vulnerable ladies in the village which were donated by Dawn Davison from Deneside, in Seaham.”
Other highlights included; “Giving out knitted jumpers, hats and Teddy bears which were knitted by the ladies
of Hawthorn village.
“Giving out shoes to the most vulnerable children of Karai primary school, which were donated by many individuals in the North East.
“And giving football shirts to all the young children, who attend our games as fans.
“We also gave a full set of matching shirts to a local team called Feyenoord FC which were donated by Hexham FC, and a set of matching shirts to Great Rift Valley Lodge FC which were donated by Seaham Red Star FC."
Gary added: “Thank you to everyone who donated any kind of items, I hope you enjoy seeing the end results of the community receiving your donations.”
The people of Wearside can continue to support the team and the village, especially with donations of shoes, by contacting Gary on 07880 732078.
People can also find out more on the club’s Facebook page.