Boxing Day saw the club host a fundraising game at Lightfoot Green in aid of The Blue Flamingo Cafe & Community Hub. The day was a huge success with a large amount of money and awareness raised for this wonderful community charity. Please read below for a message of thanks from founder Erin Singleton.
Boxing Day
“We are overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity that Blue Flamingo received at Preston Grasshoppers on Boxing Day. We extend our sincere thanks to all the generous raffle donors, players, officials, management, staff, volunteers, members and spectators who all contributed to make it such a wonderful and memorable day. The combination of player donations, raffle tickets and other donations raised an incredible £1051.74! This money will make a huge difference to our members and those who benefit from our services. Whilst we know it takes a whole team of people to make such an event successful, it would be remiss to not mention a couple of people specifically: Jason Shadwell for rallying the players donations and raffle prizes; Neil Ashton for calling the raffle and whose support has been instrumental in securing Hoppers as a Blue Flamingo hub; and Mark ‘Singy’ Singleton for selling masses of raffle tickets through a rare combination of charm and physical menace! From our perspective, days like this really demonstrate what a great ‘club’ ‘Hoppers is; it truly shows what a sports club can and should be to the community and we are very proud to be associated with you all. We look forward to our relationship growing from strength to strength in 2024 and hope to see you all soon. Up the ‘Hoppers!!”
About the Blue Flamingo
The Blue Flamingo Cafe & Community Hub is a dementia-friendly community group whose aim is to provide a warm and welcoming space for people to socialise and access support in a familiar, friendly setting. We provide opportunities for friends and loved ones to connect through creative activities, music and singing. We bring people together in a supportive setting which gives carers a chance to meet with others who share similar experiences and provides those being cared for – particularly those with dementia – activities designed to promote cognitive stimulation and encourage connection with others. We have a ‘no barrier to entry’ ethos which means:
* we do not require a diagnosis or referral for people to join any of our sessions;
* all of our services are offered on a donations-only basis;
* we provide transport in certain circumstances when possible;
* we provide lunch.
The Blue Flamingo currently operates out of three hubs:
St Michael’s church hall in Ashton, Grasshoppers Rugby Club in Fulwood, and Willows Home Care in Penwortham. We only require advance booking at our Penwortham hub due to limitations in space.
The dates & times for our Hoppers hub from January to April are:
Thursday 11 Jan 1:00-3:00pm
Thursday 29 Feb 1:00-3:00pm
Thursday 28 March 1:00-3:00pm
Thursday 18 April 1:00-3:00pm
