Posh put together kit and old boots for Ernest's Embrace.
Peterborough United have teamed up with Ernest’s Embrace, the city’s branch of the Ghana Sports Promotion Association, which is a charitable and not-for-profit currently working in partnership with the Peterborough City Council and members of their Perkins Great Eastern Run organising group, to send kit and unwanted boots to Africa.
Ernest’s Embrace was set up to prevent or provide relief to poverty in Africa and the football club have put together a package of last season’s kit and unwanted boots from members of the first team squad at London Road.
Central defender Gabi Zakuani, who represents DR Congo, was happy to get involved in the project and said: ‘I think this is a great initiative by Ernest Mensah-Sekyere and the kit man has packaged a lot of our old training and replica kit to send to Ghana. I have seen first-hand how countries in Africa benefit from deliveries like the one that has been arranged.’
To kick start the charity project, they are aiming to launch a “first of its kind” Fun-Run at the Kumasi sports stadium in Ghana on the 12th of October 2014. The run will be twinned with the Perkins Great Eastern Run, in order to help raise awareness of healthy living in both countries. The Perkins Great Eastern Run has supported the young sportsmen and women in Kumasi for the last two years by donating surplus running t-shirts and medals to schools, football clubs and keep fit clubs.
This inaugural event is expected to attract over five hundred athletes from “Keep fit” clubs, plus many additional runners and numerous spectators. We hope that the interest ignited by the event, will lead firstly, to an annual race in Kumasi and secondly, other “Fun Run” type events in different regions of Ghana. Their mission is to use this race to create awareness of healthy living, reduce obesity and keeping fit through sports among the younger generation and also the elderly.
Council leader Marco Cereste has recently become a patron of the organisation. The kit and boots will be sent out to Africa in the next few weeks.