A pair of cousins on the coast have launched a charity that sends football socks to children in underprivileged countries so they can play the game without damaging their feet.
One of the two men, Nade Ward, a football coach from Caister, was taking part in a volunteer project last year in Saint Lucia, an island in the Caribbean, when he was struck by the sight of children playing football barefoot even though there were donated boots sitting on a shelf at the house where he was staying.
Mr Ward, 22, said: “I was confused as to why. I couldn’t understand why the children were not using the football boots, until I spoke to the Caribbean director [of charity United Through Sport] who explained that a lot of these children do not have socks to wear, so even though they do receive some football boot donations, they are not always able to use them, because without socks the boots will only blister and damage the kids’ feet even more.
“For something we all take for granted, I thought surely there’s a way to fix that.”
The trip had inspired him - after returning to Caister, Mr Ward challenged himself and his cousin Connor Ward, who works at Yarmouth Stores, to do something about the problem.
Of course, due to hygiene reasons, people never donate old socks, so the cousins eventually settled on establishing a business where every time somebody buys a pair of their football socks, they donate a smaller sized pair to a child within the country, either Saint Lucia or Mauritius, the customer has chosen to support.
The charity’s name is Socker Share and it has partnered with United Through Sport, a charity aiming to help disadvantaged communities reach their full potential in sport, education and health.
Mr Ward, who studied at Caister High School, said the aim is to grow Socker Share to a point where they work with multiple charities, in multiple countries.
“No child, regardless of economic wealth or the country they live in, should have to play football in bare feet,” Mr Ward said.
To support the charity’s mission and purchase a pair of socks, visit its website www.sockershare.co.uk, as well as follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@SockerShare).
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here