Welford Victoria FC and Welford Sports Field Association are beyond ecstatic to announce that the third annual Family Fun Day raised exactly £5,000, with half of that donated to two amazing charities and the rest split between the two village organisations.
In the region of 800 visitors attended the Sports Field on a (mostly) sunny Saturday to enjoy fun, food and football while raising money for LOROS Hospice, Leicester and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. The day began with four junior tournaments featuring no fewer than 27 teams, before two senior matches took centre stage in the afternoon, with two trophies handed out to the winners. In addition to all the football, guests enjoyed a selection of inflatables, games, music, food, drink, raffles and other presentations.
Barrie Dowsett, chairman of WVFC, was overwhelmed by the amount raised. “We’ve raised more this year than we have in the previous two combined, which is just a staggering result. We are so excited to be donating £1,250 each to these two charities, which are so special to all of us in Welford. LOROS Hospice does amazing work looking after cancer patients, including our very own Jo Sutton-Larson, who sadly passed away last October and Evelina London is a cause close to the heart of our club, having done so much to help the daughter of one of our team managers as she battles an exceptionally rare neurological condition.”
In the first of the adult matches, Welford Victoria’s Veterans beat a team of WVFC Legends to become the inaugural winners of the Jo Sutton Cup, dedicated to the memory of Jo. “Having Jo’s uncle join me to present the trophy to the winning team was a moment I’ll never forget”, added Barrie. “It certainly helped energise me after handing out over 200 medals to all the children who had played in our tournament!”.
“As well as pride, I am full of gratitude,” continued Barrie. “Gratitude to all who attended, of course, but also to all the volunteers who put in so much time to make the day the success it was. We quite literally could not have done it without them.”
Barrie’s gratitude was echoed by James Bland, chairman of Welford Sports Field Association. “As well as all those Barrie has thanked, I’d also like to thank the companies who kindly sponsored us or donated items to our raffle and note that without the help of organisations such as Joseph Morris Butchers South Kilworth and John Dwyer Bakery in Rugby, we’d never have been able to feed everyone. Last, but by no means least, it falls to me to thank the event’s main sponsor, Myriad, largely because Barrie is too modest to thank his own business. So much of what we do is made possible by the money and time he so kindly donates”.
Full Results
U6s winners – Corby Kingswood 6s
U7s winners – GLK Reds U7s
U8s winners – Total Football Academy U8s
U9s winners – Total Football Academy Yellows U9s
Jo Sutton Cup – Welford Victoria Veterans beat WVFC Legends
County Cup winners – Welford Victoria beat North Kilworth FC
Northants FA Outstanding New Volunteer – Phil Catterall
WSFA/Marian Wright Outstanding Sportswoman of the Year – Ellie Scullion
The organizing committee would like to thank the following for donating raffle prizes: Sulby Barns, Bill’s Restaurants, Hyatt Regency Birmingham, Marriott Leicester, Avanti West Coast, Foxbury Dental Husbands Bosworth, The Wharf Inn Welford, Northampton Town FC, Bliss & Beauty, Rob Clayton, Cold Ashby Golf Club, Holistic Reflexology, Café Nero and Myriad
