ACLT: Celebrity line-up for Bank Holiday charity football match

Not one to rest on their laurels the ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust) are continuing the big push to ensure their doors stay open to carry on their vital lukaemia work.

The charity successfully raised 120,000 pounds to keep the Trust afloat when they faced closure at the beginning of the year. The hard fundraising work paid off and they continue the drive over the coming Bank holiday with a celebrity football match.

With partners, End of Your Rainbow events they have put together a team of ex-professional footballers to play against a celebrity team for the Daniel De-Gale Trophy. The match is an alternative to SKY 1’s The Match (which was played at Newcastle Utd FC).

The event will see a plethora of sport and entertainment stars and current premier league players and guests team up to raise funds. The list includes: Luther Blissett, MC Harvey, Jason Roberts, Simon Webbe (Blue), Calum Best, Jamie Lawrence, Jimmy Adams (Ex West Indies Cricket Captain), Alex Walker (Dream Team), Luke Strong (Coronation St), Anthony DeCosta (Blue), Jimmy Akingbola (Holby City) and DJ Spoony.

ACLT’s Orin Lewis said: “We want to utilise this fantastic opportunity to its fullest to thank the community for its great support in helping the ACLT to raise £120,000 in order to prevent closure and to also make it a great family day out”.
 
The match kicks off at 2pm on Bank Holiday Monday (2nd May), and funds raised will go towards continuing ACLT’s  awareness raising, registering and finding bone marrow, and blood and organ donation projects around the UK.

The day will start with a 30 minute pre-match game featuring some of the celebrities, playing against a team of young people.
 
The ACLT founders Beverley De-Gale and Orin Lewis are asking for potential Black and minority ethnic donors to come forward and help stem the shortage of donors from these communities on the UK Bone Marrow, Blood and Organ registers.

They say that Black and Asian leukaemia sufferers have only a 1 in 100,000 chance of finding a bone marrow match compared to 1 in 5 for white people. Finding a Bone Marrow match is greater if the donor is from the same racial background.

The good cause match is at: Brentford Football Club, Griffin Park, Braemar Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 0NT. Admission prices on the day are £6 per adult, £3 juniors and concessions and a family ticket of four £15.

WGC

Picture: Daniel and famous former footballers.