Spennymoor Town FC has played a major role in Chief Executive Brad Groves’ Group-wide Christmas appeal, which has benefited more than 1,000 families.
The County Durham and Sunderland campaign saw Groves’ businesses come together to maximise impact in a food and cash collection totalling £20,000 in value.
The huge total comes after the Moors appealed to supporters and the public to join players, academy families and colleagues in a drive to build a food wall in the Neil Adams Sports Bar.
The response was fantastic, resulting in the biggest collection in the club’s history and contributing more than £2,500 worth of food items to the Group total, plus a sizeable cash donation.
The players and management team of the club made their donations before the Curzon Ashton match, whilst Spennymoor Town Youth FC ran an internal prize draw which raised more than £1,000 in cash and contributed to the growth of the food wall.
The donations from the club were delivered through distribution routes within the town, including Whitworth Park Academy, Spennymoor Youth and Community Centre and St Paul’s Church Food Bank.
They reached elderly people living in isolation and those who need support in the area.
Tony Wilson, MD of Spennymoor Town, said: “I would like to thank every single person who contributed to our collection. It has been heart-warming to see the scale of the donations and the engagement we received in what was a very short time-frame.
“It has never been more important to support those in need around us. Unfortunately that will continue for some time as the country recovers from the impacts of the pandemic.
“It is also a show of just how important Group working will be in the future of this club, taking advantage of our connections with Brad’s other business interests to maximise social value. I am sure this is the first of many successful initiatives of this kind.”
The Group campaign, including Great Annual Savings Group (GAS), also distributed food and donations in the towns of Seaham, Peterlee, Hetton and Easington Lane.
Brad Groves, Chief Executive of Spennymoor Town, said: “As a region, we have been hit hard by the pandemic. We are just seeing the start of the job losses and economic impact.
“I believe it is the duty of those who are able to offer support to do so. I include myself and my businesses in that.
“I would like to thank all of our colleagues at GAS and Spennymoor Town, as well as the players and supporters of the club and the academy, for stepping up and helping us create significant impact in such a short space of time.
“I would also like to thank our distribution partners who have been so valuable in providing us the delivery methods to distribute this value. Dene Park Academy, Whitworth Park Academy, Seaham High School, Elcap, Mencap, Hetton Juniors, the local area foodbanks and many more have all come together for the good of their communities at a crucial time.
“We are looking to increase our footprint further in the communities in which we operate in 2021.”
Kelvin Simpson, Chief Executive of Advance Learning Partnership (ALP), said: “ALP are proud to be associated with the Great Annual Savings Christmas project to support the elderly and disadvantaged residents in our local communities.
“Once again, Whitworth Park Academy and Dene Academy students have excelled in organising and delivering the Christmas food hampers in Spennymoor and Peterlee.”
