Hello again!

Welcome to the sixth annual Christmas Dribble!

Once again, we're looking to raise £2000 to send secondhand football gear to Liberia, for the use of around 400 children in four grassroots football teams - girls and boys.

This year's Dribble will take place on December 28 and we'll be kicking off around 9.30am from No 1 Club, Consett, heading down to the Derwent Walk and kicking the ball to Rowlands Gill and back. It's around 15 miles and usually takes about seven hours!

There's a rumour of a tea van for hot beverages at Rowlands Gill, and the more people we have, the quicker the kicking!

We're hoping to organise a visit to Liberia in November 2024, so if you played in the St Bede's team that faced Millennium Stars in the first game of the 1999 tour, it would be especially great to see you there!

The money raised in the Christmas Dribble will be set aside for that intrepid group of pioneers to take any kit we collect. Although we've managed to send loads of stuff by container ship for the last two years, I would prefer to do it this way. And it also gives other people than me the chance to savour the delights of Liberian food, drink cool Club Beer on sun-kissed beaches and chat about the beautiful game with pretty much everyone they meet!

We're also planning an evening get-together in the Club on December 28 with a quiz and the chance to talk a bit more about our blisters and what the trip to Liberia will entail.

Finally, I know things are still tough this year, so my heartfelt thanks go out to you all for your generosity on behalf of a bunch of kids 4,700 miles away who you don't even know. Against all expectations we hit our £2000 target last year within two weeks!

Please share details of the Christmas Dribble with your friends and family, and anyone who might be interested.

Merry Christmas! Football brings people together!

Best wishes,

Ged