Here at AFC Fylde we are proud to boast fans all over the globe, from Kirkham all the way to Australia and beyond!
Now, with the help of supporters Roger Smith, 27, and Kirsty Aksoy, 26, we have added a new continent to our ever-growing fanbase.
The kind-hearted duo, who both live in Kirkham, travelled almost 5,000 miles to Zambia in Africa armed with several Fylde shirts for under-privileged children along with a host of other donations for worthwhile causes.
Roger was keen to express his gratitude to the club for the donation and said: “We would like to say a big thank you to AFC Fylde for the generous donation for our visit to Livingstone, Zambia.
“We first visited Livingstone between May and June 2015, where we spent six weeks volunteering in primary schools and local community projects, through the charity African Impact. This was a fantastic and rewarding experience that compelled us to go back this year. For our return we filled our suitcases with donations of which yourself, family, friends and co-workers so kindly helped us accumulate. These donations varied from stationery, art supplies, health care and sports equipment.
“These donations were very greatly appreciated by the charity and volunteer staff and when they were introduced on the various projects that take place on a daily basis around the community of Livingstone, the children were very excited and responsive to the resources available. This was heart-warming to see and made the journey totally worthwhile.
“During our time there we were able to revisit the schools we worked in on our first visit and experiencing how passionate an organisation African Impact are. We could see first hand the importance donations have and how much a positive impact they make.
“We used the resources we had taken over to assist teaching maths and English to grades 5-6 in a number of different schools. The sports equipment was used constantly from our arrival and continues to be used daily. The footballs, goalposts, vests and football shirts now allow for more structured extra-curricular team games and no doubt brighten the lives of many of the children we had come to know.
“We are still in correspondence with the charity via Facebook and receive regular updates on their developments which are always nice to see.
“Thanks again for contributing towards this and helping assist African Impact in providing education and enrichment to the lives of many in the Livingstone community.”
A club spokesman said: “We are always more than happy to help out such a worthy cause, whether it’s on our front doorstep or 5,000 miles away! It is fantastic to know the children are benefiting from the donation of shirts and it helps us spread the word about AFC Fylde in the process.”
For more information on the work of African Impact please visit http://www.africanimpact.com/volunteer-projects
Or search for African Impact Livingstone Community Projects on Facebook
