AFC Portchester FC ‘overwhelmed by the generosity’ of local people during Covid-19 crisis

AFC Portchester volunteer Penny with some of the Easter eggs donated by local shops which have been delivered to members of the local community

As well as helping to deliver food and pick up prescriptions for members of their local community, the Wessex League club also spent this bank holiday weekend delivering Easter eggs.

They were donated around 170 of the sweet treats by a number of local shops, and through a team of almost 30 volunteers delivered them to care workers’ families and the vulnerable.

The Royals have also set up a Crowdfunder page aiming to raise money to buy food to help the needy.

‘’The longer this crisis goes on, the longer people like the self-employed are going to need help,’ explained Portchester chairman Paul Kelly.

‘We set up the Crowdfunder page with a target of raising £2,000, but within 20 minutes we’d raised £1,220.

‘We’d had a donation of £1,000 from a local businessman who wishes to remain anonymous.

‘We’re still getting people delivering foods and hygiene products to the club every day - the drop off is between 10 and 11am - and some have been bringing pet food as well.

‘It’s been amazing - we’re helping a lot more people than we originally thought we would.

‘We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the local people of Portchester.

‘We’re doing regular shops and picking up prescriptions, and we’re assigning volunteers to the same person so they always have the same friendly face to speak to.’

Kelly added that any monies raised via the Crowdfunder scheme not used to buy essential items will go to charity.

‘When we come through this awful situation we have agreed that any donations that have not been used will be donated to our local NHS fund,’ he explained.