Sunderland AFC fans band together to raise more than £16K for Foundation of Light to tackle social isolation in the North East

Sunderland AFC fans have rallied behind their favourite club as they support the official charities ‘Give A Quid’ campaign, which calls for people to donate just £1 to the foundations award winning sport, education, employability, health and wellbeing programme, which aims to raise £30,000 to tackle important societal issues.

The campaign is being supported by famous Wearside faces including Black Cats’ players, manager Phil Parkinson, SAFC legend Marco Gabbadini, North East England Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive James Ramsbotham, BBC commentators Guy Mowbray, Nick Barnes, and SAFC Chairman Stewart Donald plus club staff.

Money raised will go towards life-changing programmes including the expansion of the ‘Extra Time Hub’ which provides people over 55 with the opportunity to socialise and take part in a range of activities. But the charity hopes to expand this programme into South Tyneside and County Durham.

On Saturday, December 14, Sunderland AFC’s Sky Bet League One match against Blackpool was dedicated to the Foundation of Light and a range of activities took place across the stadium where more than 1,800 people attending the SAFC FanZone in the Beacon and a half-time on-pitch display from Foundation of Light community groups.

The match day programme ‘Red and White’ was dedicated to the campaign, the cover had a striking image of an elderly lady alongside statistics that there are more than one million chronically lonely people in the UK.

Foundation of Light CEO, Lesley Spuhler OBE, said: "Once again our fans have shown why they really are the best in the country. Their passion and pride in supporting their community is second to none.

“Research has shown that just £1 invested in tackling social isolation can save over £3 in health care costs, as being withdrawn from a support network or the community can cause depression, anxiety and obesity.

“To raise over £16,000 really will make a life-changing difference to hundreds of vulnerable people across our communities, so thank you to everyone who has so far supported the campaign.”