The team behind the RAF Shawbury based ‘Taking Football to Africa and Beyond appeal’ are departing the north Shropshire airbase on Sunday 6 Jun on their way to Nairobi, in Kenya, to deliver over 2300 items to children and adults in the east African country. The appeal has now been running for 4 years and has, to date, delivered 26122 items, including 13371 shirts to 30 countries worldwide. The appeal organizer, Squadron Leader Neil Hope, is the Community Relations Officer at RAF Shawbury. Neil is also the Football Association Councillor for the RAF Football Association. Neil will be joined by Senior Aircraftsmen Ben Burton, of the Air Traffic Control Squadron at Shawbury, who assists with the appeal.
Neil is travelling to Kenya to distribute shirts from the 12 boxes of kits already delivered to Warrant Officer Wayne Charley at the British High Commission in Nairobi. Another 6 boxes are currently making their way to the Kenyan capital. Joining Neil and Ben in Kenya are Mark Robson, from the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Derrick Williams and Sally Howe, from the KitAid charity and Dave Queen, from Thomas Adams school in Wem, who looks after the school link with Miriu school in Kenya. Neil and the team will be taking another 6 kitbags full of football items with them on their journey, including shirts and items donated by England and the 2018 bid team.
Many of the football shirts already in Kenya were from the donation through the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation of Newcastle United shirts left at St James Park to commemorate the life of Sir Bobby Robson, Marks father.
Neil and the team are delivering shirts and kits to schools around the townships of Nairobi, including a school in Kibera, which is one the largest slum towns in Africa housing over a million people in a very small area, without running water, sewerage or electricity. The team will also be making deliveries in Gilgil and Naivisha. The team will be in Nairobi for the opening England game of the world cup.
Sqn Ldr Neil Hope on a previous visit to Kenya
The team prepares for the Kenya visit