Message of Thanks

We wish to thank everybody who responded to the appeal  to support the entry of three  5-a-side football teams to the Justice First Refugee Week Football Tournament. 

Your kindness and generosity covered the cost of the strips, equipment and transport necessary to enable the teams, all part of Saltburn and East Cleveland Befrienders, to take part on equal terms. 

What we lacked in technical skill, we more than made up for in commitment and sheer enthusiasm. One of the teams comprised women who were mainly from Afghanistan. Called 'Banoan', which is Dari for 'Woman', their dedication was amazing and over the weeks that we trained, I watched them develop their understanding of the beautiful game and achieve fitness and confidence. Although on the day we were sadly outclassed, the women played with a sense of freedom and joy that would not have been possible in their home country.

They were rewarded when they were presented with the Curtis Fleming Trophy in recognition of their efforts and positive attitude towards the competition.

Thanks must also go to Armin and  Sarah who worked so hard in the preparatory stages, to Clare, Stephen and Judy who came along to support on the day and to our Member of Parliament, Anna Turley for her fundraising efforts and for coming off the bench on the day to play for us.  Don't give up your day job, Anna!

I was so proud of all our teams, as they were of themselves. As I stood beside one of the men watching a hard fought match between two of our teams who were ironically drawn against one another,  he turned to me and proudly remarked: "That's my son....and that's my wife".   

So thank you all for making it possible.

Refugee Week (16th - 22nd June)

Trustees of Mary Thompson Fund were pleased to be involved with activities for Refugee Week (16th - 22nd June) and lots of our supporters made kind donations to help fund refugee football teams from the Redcar area. Thanks to your support, we were able to buy full strips and training equipment for 3 squads, bolstered by additional sporting gear provided by the Multibank and help from Redcar MP Anna Turley.

The Refugee Week 5-a-side Football Tournament, now in its 14^th year, is the result of months of hard work and preparation by Red Cross Refugee Service Manager  Tresor Bukasa and his team at Justice First .

The organisation process is a precision-led operation that deals with enrolment, registration and the drawing up of a tournament framework whereby teams are organised into groups and the winners progress to the knockout stages.

Sadly, none of our teams progressed to the knockout stages and the women had a particularly tough time, but they played with passion and commitment and at the end were presented with the Curtis Fleming Fair Play Trophy.  

The event celebrates all that is good about diversity and as Tresor commented: " With 20 teams competing and a peak attendance of 292 people representing 34 different nationalities, the event truly embodied the spirit of unity and community.
The turnout was incredible, with participants and spectators travelling from all over the North East, including Newcastle, Northumberland, South Shields, Cumbria, Darlington, Durham, and more. Your enthusiasm and support made the event not just a competition, but a celebration of diversity and togetherness."

We were delighted to see that the tournament was not only supported by a number of local politicians, but many actually donned their strips and took part  -  well done them!

We received so much positive feedback from our Refugee friends, and one man said: "the hard work and encouragement (of the organisers) gave us a wonderful opportunity to play, connect and feel  part of something meaningful - especially in such a warm and welcoming environment.  We are  truly grateful. We deeply appreciate it and look forward to more  events in the future."