Homeless centre and police prove the perfect match to raise funds
A charity football match between The Salvation Army’s Swan Lodge Lifehouse in Sunderland and Northumbria Police has raised £600 for the Bradley Lowery Foundation.
Players from Swan Lodge, which offers supported accommodation for up to 65 homeless adults, set up a team with residents at Poplar House, a hostel run by The Ashley Foundation, to battle a Northumbria Police team.
Together, the teams were able to raise £600 for the Bradley Lowery Foundation, set up in honour of the sixyear-old Sunderland fan who died after being diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer, in 2017.
Although they lost 5-1 against Northumbria Police, Swan Lodge support worker Andy Smith said the match was one of the best days he had experienced and is hoping to arrange more matches in the future.
He commented: “The atmosphere and the buzz were brilliant and to have some people cheering us on was unbelievable.
"The residents and staff did Swan Lodge so proud. There were no dirty tackles, and everyone came together to raise money for a fantastic cause.
“At the end of the first half, we were only 1-0 down and I don’t think the scoreline really reflects the game.
"We made changes so everybody had an opportunity to take part and they never stopped running.”
Andy also paid tribute to Christine Ritchie, who managed the team.
He added: “She was barking orders and keeping everyone motivated but managed to get herself booked and sent off! She is the first one there and the last one to leave – she is Swan Lodge.”
Chief Inspector Neil Hall of Northumbria Police said his officers were thrilled to take part in this event.
He said: “I’m pleased it was such a success. We all know that football can bring communities together. We are really proud of the relationship
we have with the residents of Swan Lodge and events such as these will only help strengthen that further.”
As well as the match, money was raised by selling off signed football shirts from Jermain Defoe, Kevin Phillips and Paul Merson.
The Bradley Lowery Foundation
aims to support families who are fundraising for treatment or equipment, which is not readily available or covered by the NHS. This includes all illnesses and conditions.
The foundation also supports research into neuroblastoma and childhood cancers.
The charity is also developing plans to support a £600,000 holiday home in Scarborough and run a support line for the families of children with cancer in the North East.
The planned luxury holiday home will allow families to spend time making memories, having fun and enjoying every moment together.
Due to Covid restrictions, fundraising was paused for a period and the holiday build was put on hold.
But as restrictions have gradually been lifted, the foundation has been putting everything into getting the build going and we is aiming for completion this summer.
Anyone looking to support the charity with fundraising, should email contact@bradleyloweryfoundation.com or call 0800 3281705.