Town boss Kieran McKenna’s coaching kit from last season was among donated sports equipment, clothing and educational books a team of volunteers from Ipswich businesses helped pack for education-through-sport charity Futurestars at the weekend, with Ghana and Togo its destination.
Funded by corporate donors, Futurestars provides sport and physical education sessions run by qualified coaches in schools across West Africa, including pre and after-school clubs and an after-school academy, as well as regular refurbishment projects (from libraries to toilet blocks, decorating and general maintenance), and direct funding to ensure the long-term sustainability for the Future Leaders School in Accra, Ghana.
The donated kit from clubs including Town and Brighton & Hove Albion has been collected over the last 12 months by former Blues midfielder Simon Milton, the charity’s director, and his team.
The kit is older stock often where the supplier or sponsor has changed, previously used by first teams, academy sides and women’s teams kit.
"The children who attend our schools in Tema, Ghana, come from some of the poorest communities and previously had no access to PE or sports at school,” Milton said.
"The charity helps to provide an education for many children who would otherwise not be in school. Our long-term goal is to improve the life of every child who attends a Futurestars supported school.
"We’ve been very grateful for the donations received to date and to the team of volunteers in Ipswich, who have helped us to sort and properly prepare the goods, ready for shipment to West Africa.”
The volunteers from local businesses included Mediterranean Shipping Company (UK) Ltd (MSC UK), who provided the shipping container and are covering all costs to export the goods overseas, Cory Brothers, suppliers of the transportation of the container to London Gateway Port, Bluestem Group, who provided the warehouse and facilities to pack the container, along with Sackers, who collected and recycled the waste.
The shipment is due to depart London Gateway Port in the coming days and will arrive in Tema, Ghana 17 days later.
Find out more, including how you can get involved with Futurestars charity, here.