Sellebrity Soccer – LRF Kicks off Mental Health Week 2019

One of our beliefs as a charity is how the participation in sports or exercise can have an overwhelming positive effect on mental health. We regularly hold events and support fundraisers who take part in running, cycling, golf and football events, and as some of you may know this year we were offered an exciting opportunity when we were chosen by Sellebrity soccer to be the beneficiaries of the funds raised from a celebrity fundraising football match! We knew we had to grab the event with both hands and gain as much exposure as possible, knowing this could be a leap towards The Lucy Rayner Foundation becoming even more successful. And clearly we must be ahead of the game… as one day later Prince William launched his Heads Up campaign!

As a charity, we have been advocating that mental health is just as important as physical health for years through games played by our very own LRF Corporate football team. How refreshing to see the Royals on board!

Tickets went on sale and anticipation was high as we took off in force to Queen’s Park Rangers Football Ground on the 12th May to meet the likes of ex pros Danny Shittu, Gareth Ainsworth and a whole host of other well-known faces including Lee from Steps, Sam Gowland from Geordie Shore and Dan Osbourne from TOWIE.

As well as general spectator tickets, VIP passes were available which allowed supporters to join our hard-working LRF team in the lounge bar above the pitch before the game and also access into a meet and greet session with the celebrities after watching them play. The lounge was decked with a photography backdrop and even the pitch itself was decorated with Lucy Rayner Foundation banners, all kindly gifted to us by ‘Raccoon’ – we can’t thank you enough for all the marketing material you provided, it really did make such a big difference in allowing us to put our stamp on the venue. Tables of branded merchandise filled display tables in the lounge including t-shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, cushions and water bottles. Please look out for this which will be available to buy at up and coming events!

The celebs on the day were excellent (including our very own celebrity, Dave, one of our trustees who after his cameo performance was asked for pictures and autographs from his adoring fans!). The celebs looked especially professional in matching tracksuits, and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank Astute Property Acquisition Corporation and London Architectural Glass for sponsoring this for the charity – your generosity really is appreciated! And of course, the game wouldn’t have been the same without our very own mascot Reggie the Reindeer! Thank you to Barcap and Sons for kindly donating him to us – all the children absolutely loved him he can’t wait to come and see everyone again at the next game!

Some stand-out celebs on the day for us were James Argent, who was originally supposed to play but came to sing for us instead to get the crowd going before the game and Dan Osbourne, who couldn’t play due to injury but supported from beginning to end, posing for pictures and chatting with absolutely everyone. Thank you lads for being such great sports! Playing the field or not, all the celebrities involved were more than deserving of their Lucy Rayner Foundation branded goodie bags which were kindly gifted by TOTAL Merchandise along with the t-shirts worn by the foundation members – (there has been talk that some were so pleased they’ve not taken them off since!). Thank you so much for allowing us to give the celebs a little take away as a reminder of the day and to keep us in the forefront of their minds.

If you or anybody you know could do with a helping hand with any issues you may be struggling with then please do reach out and remember, life is what you make it.

A few thank you’s !

We are so proud of everybody who was involved in making the day such a huge success and we truly do appreciate all the hard work everybody put into raising awareness, providing services such as photography, videography and social media, and of course just being there on the day to network, answer questions and beat the Lucy Rayner drum from morning till evening. THANK YOU!

Firstly thank you to our tracksuit sponsors Astute Property Acquisition Corporation  and LAG Glass and T-shirts/drawstring bag sponsors Total Merchandise. And secondly @sellebrity_uk and Kevin for choosing our charity. Without you this experience would never have been possible! We look forward to partnering again in the future with all and can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Thank you to our always dedicated LRF team for all of your hard work in the run up to and on the day. It wouldn’t have been such a success without all the extra hands on deck including social media coverage, photography efforts, all @officialqpr staff and of course the camera crew to capture all the special moments.

And lastly…THANK YOU to all of you guys! Your continued support of our charity and the events we hold throughout the year really does make all the difference.

All in all a fantastic turn out and a brilliant day to be remembered by all

Bring on next year! Photo credits Counselling with Kassandra, @justcallme_al91, @gary_coomber.

See the Facebook post below, follow the link and see all the pictures.