Dylan Hartley’s Front Mo Union is among the top 10 Movember teams in the UK, carrying on from where it left off last season. Already over £5,000 has been donated, with the team having nearly 150 members.
Movember is a national cause that raises funds for research into prostate and testicular cancers and mental health issues, and to either join the Front Mo Union or donate head to uk.movember.com and search for ‘Front Mo Union’.
Another national charity that is benefitting this autumn is the Royal British Legion. Poppy sellers were out in force at Franklin’s Gardens for the LV= Cup opener against Newcastle, and the club has been auctioning off mascot places at the Aviva Premiership game against Exeter, which will also double-up as the annual Remembrance Ceremony.
The game against Exeter will also be the focal point of the 2014 Travis Perkins Big Christmas Toy Collection. Supporters are invited to spend no more than £10 on a gift which will help brighten the Christmases of thousands of young people who are in care and in need across Northamptonshire, and then donate them either at the Travis Perkins lorry that will be in the Village at the Exeter game, or at any of the town’s branches of Travis Perkins.
For more information about the Travis Perkins Big Christmas Toy Collection visit www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/xmascollection
Closer to home the Leon Barwell Foundation is receiving donations from Saints club photographer Claire Jones, who will be donating the proceeds from sales of her photos of the team in action to the Foundation, which aims to provide support and create memories for families in which a parent is battling cancer. Proceeds from the 2015 official Saints calendar will also be donated to the Foundation.
To buy photos visit www.redhatphoto.com and to find out more about the foundation visit www.leonbarwellfoundation.org
Finally the recent introduction of new uniforms for the Saints Safety Team has enabled the club to donate its stewards coats to the Northampton Hope Centre’s ‘Donate a Coat’ appeal, with donations being given to the town’s homeless ahead of the chilly winter months.
The Saints works with charities throughout the year, with around £300,000 being raised through bucket shakes and the club donating prizes for auctions and raffles, but head of community Sian Haynes says that November is a special month.
“We try to maintain a good balance between national and local causes, and while organisations like Movember and the Royal British Legion do important work, there are plenty of charities here in Northamptonshire for whom a donation from the Saints, whether something for an auction or a bucket shake on match day, could make all the difference for them,” she says.
“November has become a particular focus for us if only in how the calendar works out. Supporting the British Legion is one of our long-standing focuses around Remembrance Day, while Movember and the Travis Perkins Big Christmas Toy Collection have risen in prominence over the past couple of years.
“But we also support charities and good causes throughout the year, not just now, and when November comes to an end our work will continue.”
