Now that all the returns are in, the Coventry City Former Players Association is proud to announce that the Grand Charity game on August 11th, last raised a massive amount for the charities who were planned to be beneficiaries.
In total, the princely sum of £21,675 has been set aside all for distribution to the charities (after all the necessary expenses of organising the day have been deducted).
The two most significant beneficiaries will be Cancer Research UK and the Acorns Children’s Hospice both of whom will receive substantial four figure sums from the proceeds. However, because of the generosity of the Sky Blue family in Coventry it has been decided that well over half of the total sum raised will be split between as many as fourteen mainly local charities each of which should net a tidy three figure sum.
These charities will include CCFPA member John Hartson‘s own Charitable Foundation and ‘Balls to Cancer’ the nominated charity of Mel Eves, the Midlands XI player-manager that day.
However, the full list, together with the actual donations made to each charity will be revealed after the special presentation ceremony takes place in the Legends Lounge at the Ricoh on Friday 6th September 2013 between 7.30pm and 9pm. Representatives from each off the Charities, quite a number of Former Players, sponsors and those participating in organising the Charity game will be attending this invitation-only presentation event early next month.
No doubt many of those attending will gravitate to the G-Casino after the ceremony to continue their celebrations and everyone is invited to join them there. We are also sure that CCFPA’s vice chairman Billy Bell, m/c of so many CCFPA and other events, will be able to tempt some of the celebrities onto the stage of Lady Gs for a chat and the audience will also be able to applaud in particular Billy’s tremendous efforts without which such a heartwarming and successful occasion earlier this month would not have happened.
Thanks to all the wonderful Sky Blue fans who had such an enjoyable and emotional day for supporting the event, all the former players on both the CCFPA Sky Blue Legends and Midland All Stars XI teams who gave up their time and energies so generously to support the Day, We cannot forget, either, the wonderful contribution of all the volunteers and both frontline and backroom staff throughout the Ricoh (including stewards and ticket sellers) who, together, made the day go without a major hitch.
CCFPA would also like to thank those of its own membership as well as those members of the Diamond Club and Sky Blue Trust who greatly helped with organising the event and all of us are especially keen to thank every one of our sponsors and donors for the game especially Crown Paints and G-Casino together with Liz Cooper of ACL.
As Billy says to everyone who took part, watched and joined in, “on behalf of CCFPA and all the charities, thank you for supporting the Legends Charity game, and may your skies always be Sky Blue’ ! PUSB