A community football tournament organised by the local police team is to help raise funds to send a five-year-old boy to the USA for a life-changing operation.
The Bradley Stoke Community Shield five-a-side football tournament, to be held on Saturday 5th June at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, will raise money to help cerebal palsy sufferer Toby Cox.
Family and friends are currently trying to raise £36,000 to pay for an operation at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital that will hopefully remove the spasticity in his legs and allow Toby to walk unaided with a significantly improved level of comfort.
Officers based at Filton police station and staff from the Willow Brook Centre have joined in with the efforts to raise the money.
Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Paul Baxter said:
“We were already planning to run a football tournament as part of our efforts to bring the community together to make it safer and stronger.”
“When we heard about Toby, we immediately decided to make the event bigger and better in support of the campaign.”
Teams representing the neighbourhood police, the Willow Brook Centre, Tesco, Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, teachers from Bradley Stoke Community School and Shirehampton Ladies’ football team will play in the contest.
PCSO Jason Green said:
“The Leisure Centre has been fantastic, offering us the venue for free, and we’re working with them and the Willow Brook Centre to plan a really fun day for all the family, with face-painting, a DJ, bouncy castle and barbecue.
“We’re also hoping local businesses and organisations will help us by donating items for a raffle. Anyone who wants to support the event can contact the team at Filton Police Station on 0845 456 7000.”
The event, which police say they hope will become an annual feature, runs from 12pm to 9pm, with the football tournament taking place between 4pm and 9pm.
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