Canaries fans dig deep to rasie £4,000 for children's hospice

Penny and Russell Blake collecting for EACH at Carrow Road on Saturday

KIM BRISCOE

24 November 2009

Generous Norwich City fans dug deep and helped to raise almost £4,000 for a children's hospice.

East Anglia's Children's Hospices (Each) won Norwich City sponsorship for the day earlier this month as part of the Community Chest Challenge run by Aviva, and voted for by EDP readers.

Before the match against Tranmere Rovers, Each volunteers held a collection at Carrow Road and a staggering £3,939.35 was raised - a figure which will be generously matched by Aviva.

Lindsey Newton, from Each, said: "We can't thank Aviva, Norwich City and the public who voted for us to win the Community Chest Challenge enough - they have helped us to raise vital funds and raise our profile in the region.

"We were all overwhelmed by the generosity of supporters at the match on Saturday, who endured howling winds and lashing rain to donate money to Each.

"Thank you to everyone who put their hand in their pocket to give to Each - your generosity means we can continue to provide vital care and support to life-threatened children and their families."

The signed shirts worn by Norwich City players at the match, and bearing the Each logo, are now available to buy at the club's shop on Ebay.

A total of 21 shirts are up for grabs, including the shirt worn by penalty scorer Wes Hoolahan, which currently has a top bid of £430.04, and Grant Holt's shirt, which currently has a top bid of £410.

All proceeds from the shirt sales will also go to Each.

Each provides care and support for life-threatened children and their families in their own homes, as well as at the charity's hospices based at Ipswich in Suffolk, which also serves North Essex, Quidenham in Norfolk and Milton in Cambridge-shire.

Some children may only have a short time to live, perhaps only weeks or months, others may reach early adulthood but the Each aim is always the same - to enhance their quality of life and support their family.

This year it is anticipated that it will cost about £5.8m to run all three of its hospice services and approximately 72pc of this is required from voluntary donations.

For more information about Each, including forthcoming events and how you can help raise funds, visit www.each.org.uk or call 01223 205180.

The signed shirts are now available to buy at the club's shop on Ebay - a link can be followed from the Norwich City website www.canaries.co.uk.