A CARING squad of young footballers swapped soccer for cycling to pedal for pounds and help Worcester Foodbank show hunger the red card this winter.
Eleven youngsters from Nunnery Wood Colts Under 10s side raised £275 for the charity after racing past their goal of cycling and scootering 1,000 miles throughout November.
The club pledged to donate 25p for every mile their players clocked up during school runs and marathon weekend rides – with the team overcoming punctures, bad weather and fatigue to beat their target by a staggering 100 miles.
Among those to saddle up were nine-year-old Diego Hardie and his brother Rafa alongside Danny Willmore, Charlie Jackman, Sam Worley, Reuben Ginever and Harry Meyrick.
Colts Ethan Barry, Ben Wilson, Edward Farmer, Jenson Rimell, William Quinn completed the crop of youngsters who went the extra mile for the much-loved city cause.
Rich Barry, co-manager of the Colts, said: “The lads dug very deep to complete the challenge and it was great fun to see pictures of the boys out and about covering distances from one to 30 miles.
“We’re delighted to have raised so much money for such a great cause and we’re grateful to the parents of the boys who have supported them all the way.”
The cash boost will help the Lowesmoor-based foodbank pay for essential meals this winter in the face of growing demand for food as the financial fallout from Covid-19 continues to push more people into crisis.
Last month the charity fed more than 900 people – including 370 children – making it the busiest November since foodbank opened its doors in June 2012.
But the charity has been buoyed by a generous wave of donations from the local community which means its warehouse remains well-stocked despite recent demand for food running about 40 per cent higher than at the same time last year.
Visit https://worcester.foodbank.org.uk or e-mail [email protected] for more.
