"They didn't see it coming": Thousands raised to support Piglet's Pantry staff after shock insolvency

PMC Construction, based in Cosham, launched a GoFundMe page on February 12 with a goal of raising £100,000 to alleviate the financial burdens employees of Portsmouth FC’s food provider are currently facing.

This comes after the catering company, which went into insolvency at the start of the month, informed staff that payment was “not possible” after relying on matchday revenue from the game against Ipswich on February 3 to pay outstanding wages.

The fundraiser was established by PMC Construction’s managing director, Steve Cripps, who said: “Over the past eight years I have acted as main contractor at Fratton Park and over that period I have been very friendly with the workers at the kiosk and many of those people are on minimum wage or trying to earn a living.

“We are a Portsmouth based company and I felt that we should do something that could try and recompense for the losses they’ve suffered.

“It’s dreadful - the staff are very upset, they didn’t see it coming. I think there are a lot of emotions and to be fair to Portsmouth Football Club, I’m led to believe, a lot of employees will go back.”

The construction company, which is also a North Stand Sponsor, has donated a hefty £2,500 to the campaign, which has reached £10,756 through 71 donations.

“I didn’t want to make the fundraiser without backing it - from £5 to £60, it doesn’t matter what peope contribute to help these people”, Steve said.

The company explained that it has reached out to the insolvency practitioners to “understand the scale of the wages” owed by the catering partner, “which appear to be in excess of £100,000.”

The fundraiser said: “Portsmouth Football Club is the heart of our city, employing many local people who contribute to the games we all love to watch, the catering team play a large part in the atmosphere we all feel at Fratton Park.”

A statement from Portsmouth Football Club previously said: “We are deeply concerned about Piglet’s Pantry's inability to meet their responsibilities, including to pay outstanding salaries. These are owed to hard-working individuals, who play an important role in the success of every matchday at Fratton Park.

“We have already invited all Piglet’s Pantry staff to work with us at Fratton Park. We are pleased that there has already been a significant amount of interest expressed in our offer.

“Obviously, this is a very unfortunate situation for Piglet’s Pantry and, more importantly, the individuals affected, but please rest assured that Portsmouth Football Club are trying to do all we can in the circumstances to find solutions.”

More updates to follow.