Though a painful match for Luton Town, it was a great result for West Brom – and for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity – last Saturday at The Hawthorns.
West Brom played host to SSAFA and allowed its West Midlands North branch to fundraise at the match, the last of the season, which saw the Baggies beat the Hatters 5 – 3.
Home fans were generous in their donations, likewise Luton, with both teams’ supporters donating hundreds of pounds on the day.
Part of this might have been the match’s proximity to the 80th anniversary of VE Day this Thursday. Part of it might have been a general feeling of gratitude to the Armed Forces family. Part of it was likely because of an emotional video of Harold Fenwick, a 102-year-old WWII veteran supported by SSAFA for more than a decade, played before the match.
Heidi Webster, Fundraising Coordinator for the West Midlands North branch of SSAFA, said:
“It was a wonderful day, a day of brilliant support from everyone, even from Luton who lost and were relegated.
“And as important as the money raised, money that will go to support veterans and serving personnel as well as their families in the area, was the message we got out about SSAFA, and I really think we touched on something.
“There was even one small boy who emptied his pockets of all his change to give to us, and things like that, seeing how the younger generation – the much younger generation – feels about the Armed Forces and charities like SSAFA is so important.
“SSAFA, which supports the whole Armed Forces family whether in our branch’s neck of the woods, the rest of the UK, or across the world has a simple purpose: to never let anyone in the military community battle alone.
“I think West Brom and Luton fans showed that, so huge thanks to them and all at the club.”
To learn more, visit ssafa.org.uk/west-midlands-north.
