On Sunday, 25th May, ELoH organised a charity football tournament at West Ham United’s iconic Upton park stadium, and it was hugely successful: so far, the event has raised an incredible £22,898 – and donations are still coming in!

ELoH co-organised the Hope Cup with PLMR, a communications company run by ELoH trustee Kevin Craig, which also sponsored the entire event.  This means that all of the money raised will go towards ELoH’s projects in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where it will have a huge and direct impact. For example, £500 will pay for a child’s prosthetics, life-saving surgeries, counselling, school fees and enrol their families in a business scheme to make them self-sufficient in the long run.

While the money raised at the event will go a long way in improving conditions for vulnerable child amputees, the Hope Cup also gave 200 football fans what may have been quite literally a dream opportunity: playing in a football tournament at a Premier League ground. Though the 200 players varied widely in age (and footballing ability), they were united by the cause they were fundraising for.

14143943318_b8b2888db6_z-300x200The first part of the day was dedicated to a junior tournament with children from the age of six competing in two age groups. This was followed by a child amputee tournament, where 14 inspiring young amputees showed off their talents. As night fell, six adult teams took to the pitch, including politicians, friends and supporters of ELoH and PLMR team members and clients. MPs Jim Fitzpatrick and Graham Evans impressed onlookers with their skills on the ball, while MPs Richard Bacon and Mark Field cheered on their sons who took part in the Junior Tournament.

In the end, it was PLMR client Company Shop who took the coveted Hope Cup trophy back with them to Barnsley, while Kevin Craig saved a penalty which won his team’s last game.

The event’s success is due to the generosity of all participants and ELoH would like to say  huge thank you to all of them. All contributions, large and small, will contribute to helping ELoH carry out its vital work abroad. On top of this, a special thank you goes to Isabelle Trick from ELoH, and Felicity Fisher, Tim Knight and Rob Comba of PLMR, plus many other staff members who gave up their time to volunteer on the day. Without you, none of this would have been possible.

Sarah Hope, co-founder of Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope said:

“The event has been incredible and we are stunned by the generosity of everyone who has supported our cause. We are honoured that so many people dedicated so much time and effort to helping our cause. Thank you to absolutely everyone who took part.”

Find more photos from the event here.

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