A group of imaginative teenagers from Berkshire have raised £260 for Macmillan Cancer Support with an innovative social media campaign aimed at getting young people – and the young at heart – into their back garden during Lockdown and exhibit their soccer skills – and it’s been nominated for a Berkshire Football Award.
Eleven students at the Berkshire College of Agriculture in Burchetts Green devised the ‘BCA Skills Challenge’ via Twitter and Instagram, seeking submissions of displays of ability on the ball.
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Student Jess Tripp – studying Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport – was one of the youngsters involved and explains: “We started off with the idea of a 24 hour charity game, But because of Lockdown we had to change it so that everyone could still all take part but from the safety of their own home! We always wanted to do something active so thought having a skills challenge would encourage people to go outside and take part.”
And take part they did. Jess and her fellow students added a Go Fund Me page asking for voluntary donations from those wanting to take part: “We have been amazed at much we raised, We set a target of £100 but this was smashed within the first week and it makes me very happy to say that the total we raised was £260!”
Scroll through some of the skills videos at twitter.com/BCASkills
The money will be going to Macmillan Cancer Support and it is not too late for further donations to be made in support of this great cause as Jess explains: “Macmillan is a charity very close to a lot of people’s hearts – my heart in particular and the work they do is just incredible. They give so much support to people in their time of need so it means a lot to us to be able to support them and raise money for them.”
Jess is a keen footballer herself, appearing in midfield or on the wing for the College team and for Woodley United in the Southern Regional Women’s Football League.
She and her peers chose an Under 15s winner and an over 15s winner whose ball skills were showcased by the Maidenhead United Twitter account. It is encouraging to see creative young people from Berkshire displaying the social awareness to create a campaign to do good in their community and beyond, well done to all concerned at BCA!
Have the BCA done enough to get your vote in the Best Isolation Engagement Campaign or Content category? Or are there others out there we need to know about? Get nominating in the form below.
More on the Berkshire Football Awards: All the 2020 winners and what was said Categories | Hall of Fame
Nominations are closed
Sorry, nominations for the 2020 awards are now closed.
Award Nomination Rules
- Nominations will close at 10pm on Sunday 14th June 2020
- Nominations must have an association with Berkshire, either through a club, competition or place of residence. For example, if you live in Basingstoke but volunteer at Thatcham Town, you would be eligible
- The awards night will be on Wednesday 17th June 2020
- You can nominate as many people as you like for each award
- Due to difficulties in obtaining permissions under child protection law we won’t consider any player under the age of 16 for nomination in any of the categories
