The combined fundraising efforts of Alfreton Town FC and Alfreton Town Council have raised more than £4,500 for the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre (DCHC).

Both the football club and council selected the centre – which provides holidays for disadvantaged children in Skegness – as their chosen charity.

Over the 2021/22 football season, Alfreton Town FC raised £1,330 for DCHC via sales generated through Ticketpass, a platform which enables organisations to give away half the ticket admin cash to a charity of its choice.

The club almost doubled the amount and raised a further £1,225 in ticket sales from a pre-season friendly against Derby County in July.

Alfreton Town Council raised a total of £2,041 for DCHC by organising a variety of fundraising activities, including market stalls and a raffle.

Together, the two organisations have raised enough money to send 10 children on a week’s break to Skegness.

Wayne Bradley, chairman of Alfreton Town FC, said: “As a football club in Alfreton and in Derbyshire, we wanted to support local people.

“We feel, along with the town council, that it’s a good cause. It’s there to support not only the children but their families as well.

“Times are so hard at the moment and we wanted to give back as much as we could.”

Councillor Steve Marshall-Clarke, leader of Alfreton Town Council, added: “I was very fortunate when I was Mayor that I was invited to go to Skegness to see the holiday centre. I was so impressed by what they did and I’ve shown my support ever since.

“It’s so important that people are aware of this charity and what it does for children. It’s important they get a holiday that they otherwise might not have, which could be for a whole range of reasons.”

Alan Grimadell, chairman of the holiday centre, said: “Thank you so much to everyone from this wonderful community of Alfreton who have given so much to our charity.

“The town council has worked tirelessly to raise funds for us over the year; the football club has been so generous in donating a proportion of sales through Ticketpass, and Derby County has played such an important role in coming to Alfreton to play and agreeing to support our charity too.

“We rely totally on donations to keep our charity going. Every penny raised puts a smile on the face of a child who gets to go to Skegness. We had to shut for two years because of Covid so we’re putting all our efforts into continuing to raise as much money as we possibly can to keep our charity going now they are allowed back again.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the players and fundraisers from the town council for supporting us. We are profoundly grateful.”

You can find more information about DCHC here.

Related content

Volunteer fundraiser required to support Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre