Charity football match at Worthing FC raises £17,000 for local children’s hospital charity
Former Brighton and Hove Albion skipper Guy Butters and local comedian Joe Wilkinson captained teams
The Worthing Football Stadium welcomed 1,000 people on Saturday to watch a charity football match in aid of Rockinghorse Children’s Charity organised by Brighton publican Brett Mendoza.
Brett, landlord of the Caxton Arms in Brighton, and his wife Helen, are a tireless fundraisers for the local children’s hospital charity, supporting them following the help their family received when their children were born.
Their 16-month-old twins, Theo and Tillie, spent the first two months of their lives in the Trevor Mann Baby Unit in Brighton and continue to need specialist care at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.
This latest fundraiser saw former Brighton and Hove Albion players and celebrities coming together to play 90 minutes of fantastic football and raise over £17,000 in the process.
The Brighton Legends team was headed by former Brighton & Hove Albion skipper Guy Butters along with a squad of ex-Albion players including Gary Hart, Bas Savage and Dean Cox.
Their opposition on the day, The Rockinghorse Allstars, was captained by comedian Joe Wilkinson and featured other well-known comedians and actors including Maisie Adams, John Richardson, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Matt Baynton.
Former Rugby Union player Joe Marler, Traitors star Paul Gorton, local chef Steven Edwards and BAFTA Award winning writer Neil Forsyth added their skills on the pitch to the Allstars team and give the former professional players a run for their money.
Emma Henderson from Rockinghorse Children’s Charity said, “It’s been an absolutely amazing day today. We really can’t thank Brett and Helen enough for everything they have done, not only with this event but with everything they do to support Rockinghorse.
“We also need to mention the two team captains Joe Wilkinson and Guy Butters for putting their teams together and all the wonderful players who put it all out there on the pitch for us. There were some impressive skills on display, and everyone was more than willing to go for those crunching tackles!
“And of course, thank you so much to everyone who bought a ticket and came along to watch the match today. It was amazing to have so many people cheering the team on and supporting us at the same time.
“This fundraising will make such a difference to so many other families like Brett, Helen, Theo and Tillie.”
The money raised will go towards helping other families like Brett’s who find themselves needing support at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, Trevor Mann Baby Unit or any of the children’s healthcare settings across Sussex that Rockinghorse support.
To find out more about your local children’s charity, just take a look at the Rockinghorse website: www.rockinghorse.org.uk