Children
at a school in Uganda are now playing football in shirts formerly worn by the
Hoops.
The shirts are one of around 20 sets of old kit that the club have donated to
the UK-based “Wear A Sports Shirt Day” charity and which were presented to the
project’s organiser, Julian Chenery, before last month’s home game with
Crowborough Athletic.
Julian, who founded the charity six years ago, has since visited Africa to
present one
of the kits to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Senior Secondary School in Uganda.
He said: “Most Saturday’s in the football
season see me at a non-league club collecting old and non-longer required kits
which I then present to football clubs, schools and youth organisations in
Africa.
“I am really grateful for the donation that
we received from Deal Town as well as for their welcome and hospitality which
was second to none and made the day all the more enjoyable.
“Apart from collecting old sports kits and
school uniforms we also hold an annual ‘Wear A Sports Shirt Day’ where people
in the UK wear sports shirt to work and donate old sportswear.
“And, outside of sport. the project has
expanded to include school uniforms and this year in particular a lot of
schools have become involved passing on uniform.”
Hoops chairman Dave Chmura said: “Over the
years we have built up lot of old kits and we thought what better way for them
still to be of use than by giving them to Julian’s splendid charity, and at the
same time spreading the name and badge of our club.”
You can learn more about the “Wear A Sports
Shirt Day” charity on their Facebook page.
Photo: Julian Chenery (centre) and two of his colleagues from the “Wear A Sports Shirt Day ” charity being presented with old Hoops shirts by three of the club’s volunteers, Del, Kay and Chris