Birch Set For 38th Annual LCFC Foxes Foundation Run
- Club Ambassador Alan Birchenall set for his 38th Annual Run ahead of the West Ham game on Saturday 5 May
- Monies raised through the LCFC Foxes Foundation on the day will be donated to the Leicester Children’s Holiday Centre
- The charity has taken more than 60,000 underprivileged Leicestershire children on holiday since it opened in 1898
- Limited edition #NoFuchsGiven run t-shirts are available to buy in the City Fanstore at King Power Stadium
It’s an event that sees Birch and his army of fundraisers endure a gruelling 90-minute run around the King Power Stadium pitch before kick-off, with this year’s efforts taking place ahead of the West Ham United game on Saturday 5 May and all proceeds going to the Leicester Children’s Holiday Centre.
The ever-popular 72-year-old was at the Leicester City Training Ground on Thursday morning to launch this year’s campaign and was joined by Foxes full-back Christian Fuchs, who is donating some limited edition #NoFuchsGiven t-shirts to the cause.
It’s a cause that has seen over £1M raised since Birch first began his superhuman fundraising efforts back in the early 1980s, with that money going towards more than 100 local charities throughout the years. So, with more than 30,000 supporters cheering him on, even a £1 donation each will go a long way towards continuing that work.
Birch & Fuchs On Annual End Of Season Run
Club Ambassador Alan Birchenall is set for his 38th Annual Run ahead of the West Ham game on Saturday 5 May
The Birch said: “This year we’re raising funds for a charity which has been running for 120 years and gives Leicestershire children who otherwise would never have a chance of a holiday, the opportunity to do so. We’re once again relying on the generosity of the Leicester City fans, who have always given so much, to make it a success again. It’s a really great cause and every last penny will go towards the charity. It all counts!
“I’m also thrilled to have a helping hand from Christian Fuchs. The players have always got involved over the years but this year Christian has got more involved than ever before and we’re extremely grateful to him for that and for providing the run t-shirts, which you can buy from the City Fanstore from Saturday.”
Christian added: “It’s never too late to help people who need support. We always try to get involved with the community and people who need us. I’ve been following Birch’s run for the past few years and I’ve seen how passionately he cares for people in this community and I just thought that I want to help him, so it’s great to be on board.”
This year, the LCFC Foxes Foundation will be offering its support through Birch’s Annual Run to the Leicester Children’s Holiday Centre. For 120 years, the charity has been taking underprivileged children from the county on free holidays – a timespan that has seen them have a positive impact on over 60,000 young lives.
The much-loved Mablethorpe centre which has been the charity’s home since the 1930s has recently been closed however, due to rising costs, so the funds raised by the LCFC Foxes Foundation at Birch’s 38th Annual Run will go a long way towards helping the charity give Leicestershire youngsters the breaks they need once again.
Plans are currently in place to offer exciting holidays at a carefully selected coastal site which can give the underprivileged children a more modern holiday experience that will include a host of educational and outdoor activities, delivered and supervised by the charity’s highly-trained staff.
Leicester Children’s Holiday Centre chairman Shaun O’Donnell said: “Quite often this is the only holiday a child will experience and certainly the first holiday, so it can be quite a life-changing experience. I often meet people now in their 50s and 60s who went there as a young child and they still remember it, as it was their first time seeing the sea and sand. It does change lives. We need a lot of help and what this will do for us is reach out to many tens of thousands of people who we aren’t reaching at the moment.”
On the day, bucket collectors will be in position at King Power Stadium for supporters to donate, while 200 limited edition #NoFuchsGiven t-shirts will be available to purchase from the City Fanstore from Saturday 31 March. They are priced at £15, with all profits going towards Birch’s Annual Run.
DONATE:
Online: Visit the JustGiving website at www.justgiving.com/lcfcfoxesfoundation
Text: Simply text LCFC33 £5 (or another amount) to 70070 to donate.
By cheque: Please make cheques payable to LCFC Foxes Foundation Ltd and post to Foxes Foundation at the following address: Leicester City Football Club, King Power Stadium, Filbert Way, Leicester, LE2 7FL.
Cash: Cash donations can also be received at the LCFC Training Ground or at King Power Stadium, marked for the attention of Rach Green.