Perth drilling firm collecting used football boots for Colombian children
The firm have already sent a kit to the youth team in South America
Perth drilling firm Merlin ERD are supporting a youth football team in Colombia by supplying them with used football boots alongside a new kit they have already provided.
The company first became aware of the issues facing Real Cayumba when one of their employees was working in Colombia. The engineer came across the local youth football team who didn't have very much kit or football boots.
After seeing this, Santiago approached the teams coaches and organised for the children to select the style of kit they would like which was then funded and supplied by Merlin. The firm are now looking to send used football boots to the team and help them even further.
Real Cayumba are a mixed team, consisting of 28 boys and girls between the ages of seven and 12. The team are located in Puerto Wilches, a municipality in Santander, north east Colombia. The region has a population of around 31,000 people.
Merlin volunteers are collection football boots, in any condition, up to adult size seven. They will then clean them and distribute the boots to Colombia. Used football boots can be handed in to Merlin House.
The firm have partnered up with many local groups who are also taking collections of used football boots to support Real Cayumba. Football boots can be handed in to Jeanfield Swifts, Saints in the community, Morrisons Academy and Stratheran Community Campus alongside Merlin.
Any football boots that don't end up making to journey to South America will be donated to local UK charities. This will be done by Saints in the community. Merlin hope to have all of the boots collected by the end of October and the cleaning, packing and postage of them will take place in the first week of November.
Merlin engineering director and head of the boots for Colombia project Neil Armstrong said: "They are just absolutely ecstatic. I think they feel like Real Madrid not Real Cayumba with this brand new kit that they have designed themselves. They are so excited to get their new boots before Christmas.
"It's really nice to have a positive impact in the locations that we work and this is especially nice because it's so obvious that they are delighted with the help."
He added: "We need boots within the size range up to adult size seven. It doesn't really matter what condition they're in, the better condition they're in obviously the better. We just need people to bring their boots in that aren't being used anymore."
