Gosport youngsters clean up Stokes Bay to raise funds for new football kit

Stokes Bay is looking much tidier thanks to the Gosport Borough Blues under 10 squad, who really enjoyed helping the environment.

Manager Andy Jerrard said: ‘I had been looking for sponsors to get the kit for the team. It was so hard so we thought we would do our own fundraiser by cleaning the beach.

‘The kids had so much fun doing it and learning about the environment and the safety and health of living animals around our waters’

Some interesting finds on the day included plenty of disposable barbecues and a few pound coins which had been lost on the beach.

Andy said: ‘We could see how happy they were from the smiles they had, every time they found something they came over and showed me.’

The team, who has been playing together since they were seven, has raised around £350 from friends and family sponsoring their cleaning efforts, and are waiting for more forms to come back.

More funds will be needed if they are to afford a home kit, away kit and training kit - so the young eco warriors, who have been learning about plastic and the environment at school, are making plans to clean up Stanley Park.

Andy said: ‘Looking after [parks] and keeping them clean is a great thing for the kids to learn.’