The football superstars of Sainsbury's Hempstead Valley took on Gillingham Anchorians Ladies football club on Sunday 28th March to raise funds for Sport Relief. The "Sainsbury's Superstars" went onto win a hard-fought contest 7-2 at Anchorians home ground in Darland, Gillingham. Sainsbury's Hempstead Valley duty-manager Mark Harding was the star of the show after scoring four times. The match is estimated to raise £350 for Sport Relief.
Sixteen Sainsbury's Hempstead Valley colleagues made up the ‘Superstar' squad, and they showed off their support for Sport Relief by wearing red and white kits as well as the official red and white Sport Relief socks. They were up against a strong Anchorians ladies' side; currently top of the South-East Counties Division One. Sport Relief badges were proudly worn by all the players.
The "Sainsbury's Superstars" got off to a flying start, and went into half-time 5-0 in front. Sainsbury's Hempstead Valley store trainer Sabrina Simone is a regular in the talented Anchorians team and she and the rest of the ladies team put in a spirited second-half performance. They clawed two goals back, before hitting the crossbar twice and having two penalties saved.
Anchorians manager Lui Simone said he was proud his team were able to support Sainsbury's Hempstead Valley's fundraising for Sport Relief: "We're happy we could do our bit for Sport Relief and we ‘rose to the challenge' to face the ‘Sainsbury's Superstars'. We're doing really well in our own league at the moment, but this was a great way for the club to contribute their football towards a worthy cause".
Cheering on from the sidelines was store manager Eddie Worth who said the match was a fantastic way to end the Sport Relief fundraising on a high: "We're proud to have raised nearly £350 from this special match, and we'd like to thank Gillingham Anchorians for their fantastic contribution to the event and their donation of more than £100 to Sport Relief. We'd also like to thank our customers for their donations during the last two months and our colleagues who have all worked so hard to raise a grand total of over £1000 for Sport Relief".
- Sainsbury's has supported Comic Relief since 1999 and has raised over £43 million for the charity to date. In 2009, Sainsbury's handed over £11 million on Red Nose Day, the largest cheque ever received in Comic Relief's history.
- Sainsbury's was also the headline sponsor of the Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile, which took place across 300 locations around the UK on Sunday 21st March 2010. For more information see www.sainsburys.co.uk/sportrelief.
- Gillingham Anchorians Ladies football club play every Sunday in the South-East Counties Division One. The side have three matches left in their season. (Home to Gillingham Ladies, away to Whitstable and away to Ashford). If you would like to play for the Anchorians boys, girls or ladies sides, please visit http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/anchoriansfootballclub.
About Sport Relief
Since its launch in 2002, millions of people have taken part in Sport Relief, helping to raise over £80 million. Sport Relief has a unique history of dedicated people doing extraordinary things to rise to the challenge, from David Walliams' astonishing swim across the English Channel to Eddie Izzard's truly amazing marathon a day around the UK. Further information is available on www.sportrelief.com
Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).
