The Football League pitches in for hospice care
The Football League has teamed up with national charity Help the Hospices for the 2011/12 season.
The Football League’s official charity partnership with Help the Hospices will give millions of Football League fans across England and Wales the chance to make a difference for people with life-limiting illnesses in their local community and their families.
Every Football League club will raise vital funds for its local hospice during the 2011/12 season, helping seriously ill local people to live well until they die.
To kick off the season of fundraising for hospice care, Football League club mascots will go head-to-head for a 100m sprint at Uttoxeter Racecourse later this month.
An array of oversized cats, dogs and cartoon characters will be pitted against one another at the mascot race, dubbed the ‘Sunflower Sprint’.
David Praill, chief executive of Help the Hospices, said:
“We are delighted to have the chance to work alongside The Football League this season, so that hospices across the UK can continue to care for 360,000 people every year – which could fill Wembley Stadium four times over. This is an exciting opportunity for local hospices to tell millions of football fans about their important work.”
Greg Clarke, Chairman of The Football League, said:
“Like Football League clubs, hospices operate at the heart of their local communities. This season, with the support of all 72 league clubs, hospices will continue to provide vital care for adults and children with life-limiting and terminal illnesses across England and Wales.”
Football League crowds topped 16 million last season; statistically half of those attending games will know someone who has been cared for by a hospice.
