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Charity Football Match Raises Vital Funds For Disability Charity

ByDave Stopher

Oct 1, 2016

The match, organised by former Quakers striker Robbie Painter, saw the 1996 team reunite to take on a Darlington XI at Northallerton Town.

Painter was joined by former teammates Mark Barnard, Phil Brumwell, Simon Shaw, Sean Gregan, Steve Gaughan, while the Darlington XI included Alan White, Andy Toman, Dale Anderson, Roger Wicks and Danny Mellanby.

Former Newcastle striker Malcolm MacDonald attended alongside former Newcastle and Darlington players Peter Kirkham and Paul Robinson, together with television personality Francis Jones.

Quakers fans Paul Hodgson and Ian Carter helped organise the match, alongside Painter which raised £740 for The Percy Hedley Foundation, a charity that works to improve the lives of disabled children, young people and adults throughout the region.

The Percy Hedley Foundation is currently running its Building Brighter Futures Appeal, which includes the construction of a new Percy Hedley Lower School building on the same site as Percy Hedley Upper School in Killingworth, North Tyneside.

The building will enable the Foundation to provide vital education, therapy and support to 200 children and their families in the North East.

“It was an honour to help Robbie Painter and Ian Carter organise the match.  Everyone worked really hard both in the organisation of the event, and indeed on the day itself,” said Hodgson, who attended Percy Hedley School between 1971 and 1980.

“It was great for me personally to give something back to the school that helped me so much in my younger days.”

Sheila Coltman, Corporate Partnerships Manager for the Percy Hedley Foundation, said: “It is absolutely brilliant when ex Percy Hedley pupils like Paul show their appreciation of the great work that goes on at the Foundation by influencing others to support us so we can help even more children in the future.

“We are very grateful to the Club, the payers and fans for this fabulous boost to our appeal and for making a difference to the children at our school.”