Shropshire football charity ready to donate as World Cup kicks off

The charity appeal has been running since 2006 from its base at RAF Shawbury.

The appeal organiser, Wing Commander Neil Hope MBE, set it up to collect unwanted football shirts and send them to the less privileged in Africa in the run up to the 2006 World Cup finals.

The appeal became a huge success and has so far collected 89,910 items, including 30,736 shirts delivered to 44 countries worldwide since its inception.

This will be Mr Hope's eighth visit to the east African country making deliveries.

He said: "You do not realise until you visit the areas just how poor most of the people in Kenya really are. While each football or shirt or item may appear small, it is truly cherished by those who receive it."

Already in 2014 the charity has delivered 10,860 items including 3,280 football shirts across the globe.

The appeal is in the final stages of planning for another Kenya delivery visit in early June, the same time the World Cup kicks off in Brazil.

The organisers are due to be joined by two members of the FA development department and by Mark Robson, on behalf of his father's charity the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

The team has 25 deliveries planned across the slum areas of Mathare, Kibagare and Kibera.

They will also visit schools and orphanages, as well as football clubs and tournaments, handing over thousands of items of football kits and school uniforms in areas around Nairobi and in Gilgil, on the Great Rift Valley.

Over the past few months the appeal has made many deliveries and collections and is in the advanced planning stage for its next Kenya visit to distribute items in and around the East African countries capital, Nairobi.

It has also just set up a new initiative and partnership with the charity Alive and Kicking.

Alive and Kicking helps people from the slum areas in Kenya, Malawi and Zambia to produce footballs in small workshops which are then sold with the profits going back into football in the same areas.

Mr Hope said: "I am proud to announce that we have set up a link with Alive and Kicking in Nairobi, Kenya, and will shortly join forces with the UK part of the charity. Our aim, as always, is to continue to provide Aid through the medium and global love of football."

The appeal has set up links, through deliveries, with The National Police Aid Convoys (NPAC).

NPAC provide aid through convoys of vehicles driven by ex-police officers to areas of need across the globe.

Recent donations from the appeal have gone through NPAC to Zambia and Tanzania and also to Pakistan.

More than 3,000 items including over 100 shirts have been donated to this NPAC delivery.

Deliveries have also gone to Brazil, through the Lionsraw charity.

The charity will be going to travelling to Brazil during the World Cup to work with impoverished children and adults, empowering them to make a difference and will be delivering England kit provided by the appeal.

Anyone wishing to donate any kit or knowing of any outlets for the kits can contact Mr Hope at neil.hope999@btopenworld.com or on 07903 135508.