High-profile Premier retailer Mandeep Singh hopes to raise over £10,000 for charity from a football tournament he is hosting with the support of Sheffield United and a number of leading suppliers.
Mandeep, who owns three Singh’s Premier stores in Sheffield, is hosting the event at Sheffield United’s Brammall Lane football ground for the third consecutive year, on Saturday 17 May. Booker, Mars, Kellogg’s, Molson Coors and Cadbury will all run stands at the free event, with all money spent on food and drink donated to the chosen charity, Bluebell Wood children’s hospice. Mandeep and the suppliers will also contribute prizes to a fund-raising raffle.
He said he had never expected Sheffield United to be so accommodating when he first approached them three years ago. “It started when we asked them to use the pitch, and they were more helpful than we could have imagined. They lend it to us free of charge,” he said.
Mandeep encouraged other retailers to approach their local professional football clubs. “There’s football pitches all over the country which can be used for thse kind of charity events,” he said.
A number of children’s teams will play a mini tournament, while the adult match will see a Singh’s team compete against a team from The Sun newspaper, which will also bring a free tea van.
All participating children will receive a certificate emblazoned with the Sheffield United logo, as well as a goody bag. They will also have the chance to meet well-known local sports people.
“We just said to the suppliers, ‘we work with you all year round and once a year we’d like you to something for us’,” Mandeep added. “It’s quite a remarkable achievement every year for an independent.”
Last year the event raised £8,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
2 Readers' comments