Estate agent supporting trip to help disadvantaged children in Africa

A St Neots estate agent is on the look out for football fans to join him on a 10-day trip to Lesotho in Southern Africa next year.

Matt Giggs, owner of Giggs & Co, is linking up with Kick4Life, a registered charity co-founded in 2005 by Steve Fleming, of Little Paxton.

During the trip, the Kick4Life All Stars will be trained to deliver life-saving health education activities to children in local schools, as well as have the chance to play football in front of hundreds of supporters.

The tour also includes opportunities to learn about the work of Kick4Life, a range of cultural visits and an adventure trip to the stunning mountain region.

Mr Giggs said: “I’ve loved football all my life and played locally for many years, and this is a wonderful opportunity to use the beautiful game to change the lives of some of the world’s most disadvantaged children. We’d like to invite as many people as possible from the local area to join our adventure.”

Mr Fleming added: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Giggs & Co. We’ve been running tours to Lesotho for more than 10 years that involve football, but they are mainly about the wider experience.

“We’ve had men and women aged from 18 to 80 take part previously, including those who have never played football before. People always return home having made friends for life.”

Kick4Life has worked with more than 100,000 underprivileged children at their centre in the heart of Maseru, Lesotho’s capital city. They have also set up a restaurant and a hotel that generate income for the charity as well as providing training and employment for young people.

The charity has received multiple international accolades, including the Nelson Mandela Children’s Award, has been funded by the likes of UNICEF, the Vodafone Foundation and BT Sport, and supported by Prince Harry and former England manager Fabio Capello.

Mr Giggs added: “Giggs & Co is committed to supporting a range of good causes in the local community, and we are excited to also now have the chance to contribute to an international cause.

“I really hope we can pull together a diverse team of people from the local area to come together for what will undoubtedly be a fun, worthwhile and inspirational adventure.”

An information evening is being held at St Neots Football Club on August 22 at 7pm. There will be a chance to learn more about the trip. To take part in the tour, participants need to raise £2,500. This covers flights, accommodation, meals and a wide range of activities, with the majority of the funds directly supporting the work of Kick4Life. The charity also provides support and advice to help people hit their target.

“We are very competitive compared to most charity challenges because we run the trips ourselves and there is no travel agency taking a cut. But most importantly those attending are not just having a life-changing trip - they are directly contributing to our work through the delivery of health education and life-skills in local schools,” Mr Flemming explained.

The tour will run from November 23 to December 2, 2018.

For more information and to book a place at the information evening, contact: steve@kick4life.org or call Steve on 07710 999 169. More details on Kick4Life can be found at www.kick4life.org.