We continue The 12 Days of Christmas community drive of festive activities this month to help lonely, elderly and vulnerable people in East London and Essex with a focus on the Club's Charity Partners.
Over the past 20 months, the world has been dealing with some of the greatest challenges in history and the charity and volunteer sector has had a crucial role to play in supporting the response of our communities.
With heightened need has come increased demand and they have been working tirelessly to meet this, despite limited resource.
Togetherness and collaboration has never been more important, in order to break down barriers and overcome inequalities and obstacles.
At West Ham United, we are extremely grateful for the hard work and commitment that charities and volunteers dedicate to serve people and communities; particularly through the pandemic.
The Club has strong relationships with a variety of charities across east London and Essex, including its eight charity partners - each of whom receive support with key activities and campaigns as well as a selected fixture whereby they have a unique Premier League experience and raise awareness for their work.
Each of our charity partners has been detrimentally effected by the pandemic and fundraising is vital for them.
We want to thank the West Ham United fans for all you have done to help where you can – it makes a huge impact – and it’s important to continue in this spirit to highlight the work of these essential services and support their efforts.
Here’s a wrap-up of updates across our charity partners this Christmas…
Ambition Aspire Achieve
Ambition Aspire Achieve (AAA) is based a stone’s throw from the London Stadium in Hermit Recreation Ground E16, where West Ham United played their first ever match.
AAA’s services support children and young people who are experiencing disadvantage and poverty, to overcome their multiple difficulties and follow positive pathways forward to achieving their full potential.
Earlier this month AAA held their selected Premier League fixture at West Ham United FC vs Chelsea FC, and our Club Captain, Mark Noble, chatted with their CEO about their most vital project at this time of year: the Christmas Toy Appeal.
Now, amazingly in its 44th year, the appeal, renamed the Kevin Jenkins OBE Newham Christmas Toy Appeal was launched last month by two West Ham fans, best pals Ricky Grover and Quincy The Comedian. The support so far has been brilliant, including deliveries of football gifts and chocolate selection boxes from Irons Supporting Foodbanks.
If you would like to support the appeal you can:
- Buy toys online here
- Drop off toy donations at: Terence Brown Arc in the Park, Canning Town, E16 4JT/Gallions Reach Shopping Park, E6 7ER.
- Donate here
Find out more about the charity at www.theaaazone.com
Blesma
It was in the aftermath of WWI that Limbless Servicemen first came together to campaign for greater rights and opportunities.
In 1932, branches of what was then known as the ‘Limbless Ex-Serviceman’s’ Associations’ united and became ‘Blesma’ - the British Limbless Ex-Serviceman's Association. The organisation was granted national Charitable status for the first time.
Ninety years on, and Blesma is still supporting those injured in WWII and subsequent conflicts. With help from you, our supporters, we plan to be here for Limbless and injured Veterans, for another 90 years to come.
Their Members range from the youngest amputee veterans to those who fought in WWII, some having lived with amputation for more than half a century.
Modern medicine has come a long way since then. However, there is still a vital need for Blesma to support younger injured veterans, and their families. Their Members have survived complex trauma injuries and will need our support and expertise as they face the long journey ahead.
The charity supports their members, both young and old, for life. Since WWI Blesma has worked to provide emotional, financial, and practical support to those who continue to experience daily, the physical and mental impact of their life-changing injury.
If you would like to support Blesma to ensure they are here for another 90 years, why not sign up for one of their events. You can find all of their events and more about Blesma’s vital work supporting Limbless Veterans at their website.
Bobby Moore Fund
This year, despite the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the Bobby Moore Fund has been able to continue making progress against bowel cancer.
Over the summer, we celebrated England’s march to the Euros final with a limited-edition t-shirt, which raised £30,000 towards pioneering bowel cancer research.
In November, we saw the return of our much-loved London Celebrity Sports Quiz, with 350 guests coming together on the night to raise an astonishing £192,000. This was quickly followed by Football Shirt Friday, where we called on people across the nation to wear their favourite football shirt, share a selfie on social media and donate to tackle bowel cancer. This was supported by over 50 celebrities and 40 football clubs on the day and raised over £100,000.
We couldn’t have done any of this without the incredible generosity of our supporters. If you would like to get involved, you can register your interest in taking part in Football Shirt Friday next year by emailing [email protected] or you can make a donation to the Bobby Moore Fund.
DT38
The New Year will be a busy time for DT38 Foundation which is hosting more events than ever before to support its work raising awareness of testicular cancer.
The charity, which is a Principal Charity Partner of West Ham United, was set up in 2015 in memory of West Ham United forward Dylan Tombides who lost his battle with testicular cancer a year earlier.
DT38 raises awareness of testicular cancer through an education programme and self-checking campaigns with the emphasis on getting to know your body by checking on a regular basis. DT38 educates young people about the importance of resilience and wellbeing and arranges free ultrasound scan sessions.
This work is funded by several important events and there is an exciting programme of events is now in the calendar for 2022:
- February – Annual Poker Tournament at Crown London Aspinalls, Mayfair
- April – DT38 Cup at Romford Golf Club
- April – DT38 Awareness Day 2022 at London Stadium
- September – DT38 Golf Day at Langdon Hills Golf Club
- November – DT38 “Awareness Below the Belt” White Collar Boxing at York Hall, Bethnal Green
For more information about these events follow DT38 on social media on Twitter @dylantombides, Instagram @dt38foundation and Facebook.
Moore Family Foundation
Established by Roberta Moore, the daughter of West Ham United legend Bobby Moore, the Moore Family Foundation (MFF) aims to provide educational, mentoring and pupil engagement provision which embodies the six core values displayed by the FIFA World Cup winning captain – courtesy, generosity, hard work, humbleness, respect for others and self-discipline.
It engages with some of the most vulnerable young people in East London and Essex by reaching out and assisting those attending alternative provisions.
MFF has entered its fourth year in partnership with London East Alternative Provision, based in Tower Hamlets, to support young people who are not in mainstream education to achieve qualifications and gain work experience.
This year has seen even more young people access both Key Stage 4 and Post 16 support provision, by completing a Sports Leader Level 1 Award, FA Talent I.D Level 1 and FA Playmakers Course and having volunteering experience on the WHU Foundation’s Premier League Kicks programme.
Moving forward, MFF is specifically focused on supporting even more young people who attend alternative provisions in the other East London boroughs including Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, and Redbridge. With the challenge of COVID-19 negatively affecting educational development and behavioural incidences for some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people, referrals of young people to alternative provisions have been on the rise and through the Moore Family Foundation Mentoring Programme we aim to positively impact the journey of even more young people.
If you’d like to support the Moore Family Foundation visit the charity’s JustGiving page.
Richard House Children’s Hospice
Since 2000, Richard House has provided 24-hour specialist care and support for babies, children and young adults who suffer with life-shortening, life-limiting or complex health conditions.
London’s first ever children’s hospice, today Richard House support over 200 families across London and Essex – mainly in areas that suffer from some of the highest child poverty rates in the country. Their free services include end of life care and respite support for families, specialised clinical care, movement and art therapy, multi-sensory play, family activities, trips and bereavement support.
The pandemic has meant that this year they have seen our funding drop and are facing a shortfall of £500,000 - such a shortfall will force them to decide which families they can continue to support and where they will have no choice but to withdraw their care.
They’re also devastated to say that they are unable to host our Christmas festivities at the hospice this December due to COVID-19.
So, help them to make this Christmas special by sending a Christmas message to our children by placing a decoration on their #DonateDecorateDedicate virtual tree!
Saint Francis Hospice
Saint Francis Hospice is an independent charity and one of the largest adult hospices in the UK, caring for people with life-limiting illnesses across Essex and East London.
The Hospice relies heavily on donations from the public to enable them to keep on providing the outstanding care and support their patients and their patients’ families deserve.
A donation of just £54 could help a patient stay at home with their family this Christmas.
This year, they want to make Christmas extra special for our patients and their families, who will be going through the most difficult time of their lives. They want our patients to have the best day possible and give them the opportunity to be with their families, making the most of the time they have left.
- £54 could pay for an hour of Hospice at Home care meaning a patient is able to stay in their family home for Christmas.
- £26 could pay for an hour of care on our ward making sure that their patients are receiving the best possible care throughout the festive season.
- £10 could pay for a patient’s Christmas lunch making their stay on the ward as special as possible.
Please find space in your heart for local patients and their families by giving the gift of care this Christmas. You can donate safely and securely here.
West Ham United Foundation
As the Club’s official charity, West Ham United Foundation is extremely grateful for the ongoing support from the fans and wider community.
Over the past year, the Foundation has provided thousands of people across east London and Essex with: meals when they would otherwise go without, mentoring to help them get back on track, unique opportunities to keep connected, lifestyle guidance to make healthier choices, and much more.
Every single pound and penny donated to the Foundation has gone to support people across our community – delivering life-changing and life-saving services.
The Foundation couldn’t do any of this without you and the Club. You make the Foundation what it is: a family.
They have really exciting plans for the next year, and they want to involve all of you in making them a reality. So, watch this space for ways you can get involved!
In the meantime, you can support them by:
- Donating to our JustGiving page
- Visiting smile.amazon.co.uk and selecting the West Ham United Foundation as your charity of choice so that whenever you purchase from Amazon the Foundation receives a donation and it doesn’t cost you a penny more
- Backing the Give IT Appeal
Thank you again and we hope you all enjoy the holiday season!