Thamesmead Town Football Club
TTFC's The Clean Sheet Challenge page
Fundraising for Cancer Research UK
Story
We are delighted to announce this afternoon a very special fund raising plan for our very good friends at CANCER RESEARCH UK...
TTFC CLEAN SHEET CANCER CHALLENGE is a challenge that will see our no.1 wearing a special pink keepers kit, as they're sponsored during the season to keep all important clean sheets to help us to assist the funding of the magnificent and ground breaking work that Cancer Research UK has undertaken in the last 40 years, which has seen survival rates more than double.
More than 1 in 3 people in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lives, and one of those sadly in 2012 was our keeper Rob Budd's sister Emma, which is where the Challenge came from....
Mike Green, the clubs head of Marketing and Communications explains, "We as a club were looking for a Charity partner this season and we were looking into a way of doing it so that it stands out. And what better way than have one of your players wearing a bright pink kit... and that is where Buddy got involved. I spoke to him and he loved the idea and knew immediately who we should approach to fund raise for."
Rob takes up the story, "It was a huge shock when Emma first told the family but she fought the disease all the way - she first developed breast cancer before beating it. It then spread to her lymph gland and we thought she'd beaten in again. We then found out that she had a brain tumour and she wasn't given a very good diagnosis. But the doctors were amazed when it looked like she'd beaten it against all the odds again which was something apparently that hardly ever happened before."
But the joy was short lived as the disease that Dame Helen Mirren so famously called "a shitty, shitty disease" in the film Calendar Girls, took hold again one last time. Rob continued his story, "The cancer has sadly spread to another part of her brain, but this time it was too late! In the end she'd fought the various cancers for three years during which time everyone at the club was fantastic as she lived in South Africa and the club helped me out and gave me money towards flights and stuff as I kept going back n forth over course of a few months."
She was an amazing person who never moaned just got on with it - she was always positive. I miss her everyday - she was a indpiration to all her new her and touched everyone that came into her life at the start an towards the end. in the end she was only 35 when she passed away on October 25th 2012 leaving her husband and two children."
"When Mike asked me if I wanted to get involved (once we got the OK from the club and the League) I jumped at the chance. Its my chance to give a little back to the wonderful people who helped Emma during the three years and hopefully help to find a cure or help Cancer Research UK continue their fabulous work."
Emma Minshull, Central Fundraising Executive at Cancer Research said, "It was great to hear more and hear about your plans. Every step we make towards beating cancer relies on every pound, every hour and every person. TTCC will be joining the thousands of people helping our ground breaking scientists to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. I look forward to hearing more about your progress during the season and thanks again for choosing to fundraise for Cancer Research UK."
If you would like to give even more to back the CLEAN SHEET CANCER CHALLENGE please see Mike Green in the Committee Room on a matchday to sign the Sponsorship Form. Alternatively, there will donation boxes all around the Mead Bar at the Club's Sporting Club Thamesmead home all season long should you want contribute that way...
Please help us to help ground breaking work hopefully cure this world once and for all - every single penny really does count...