Blackpool FC launch festive fundraiser to ensure no child goes without a present on Christmas Day

The club, in conjunction with its Community Trust, is bidding to raise £25,000 after being made aware of a startling statistic that shows 700 to 800 children of Primary School age will wake up on Christmas Day without a present to open.

The Seasiders are now asking its supporters to raise as much money as possible to provide every Primary School child with a toy and a gift box.

The final amount raised will then be matched by Blackpool owner Simon Sadler, who said: “When Ash Hackett (CEO of Blackpool’s Community Trust) made me aware of the stark statistic of quite how many local children would go without this Christmas, I felt that the club and the Community Trust had a responsibility to work closely together to try to address this issue.

“To show our support for this fundraising effort, Gillian and I, along with the staff and partners of Segantii Capital Management, will look to match, pound for pound, all of your generous donations given via the Trust’s Just Giving page.

“As we see out this most testing of years, let’s all pull together to spread some festive cheer.”

The project is to be delivered by the Community Trust through local schools and organisations.

Hackett added: “This year has been a tough year for many in the community and to think of local children waking up on Christmas Day to nothing is truly heart-breaking.

“Our intention is to deliver these presents to children of Primary School age thanks to your fundraising.

“However, we would love to be able to raise enough money to go even further and assist even more children in the town and community.”

You can donate to the initiative, which ends on Monday, December 14, by visiting the Trust’s Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bfcctxmas

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