Blackburn Rovers announce their new 2019-20 charity partners

Blackburn Rovers are pleased to announce their new charity partners for the 2019-20 Championship campaign. The club, who will continue to work closely with its official charity, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust, have also teamed up with Fight Like a Kid, The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment Veterans Charity and ELHT&Me for the new season. The chosen charities will each benefit from fundraising and awareness events, including a dedicated matchday at Ewood Park, as well as signed merchandise and high-profile player appearances. Last year, Rovers helped to raise over £9,000 for East Lancashire Hospice, Child Action Northwest and Age UK Blackburn with Darwen, and this season’s nominated charities are looking forward to following in their footsteps. Fight Like a Kid supports children and their families through the trauma of childhood cancer diagnosis and beyond. The charity was inspired by Blackburn schoolboy Theo Power, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in July 2015 at the age of five. Trustee Graham Jordan said: “We’re absolutely thrilled and honoured to be chosen as a charity partner. “Blackburn Rovers are in the heart of the community and have such brilliant supporters. We have received such a lot of support from the club and supporters over the last few years, and this is the icing on the cake! “This will make a massive difference due to us only being a small local charity. It's exactly what we need to raise our profile, to help raise awareness of childhood cancer and to show yet again what a fantastic club Blackburn Rovers are. “The trustees and volunteers are very excited and will enjoy working with the club over the next 12 months.” The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment Veterans Charity was founded in March 2016, with the aim of providing the public with a principal memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum and a second memorial at the Fylde Arboretum in memory of those personnel who served in the regiment during the 20th and 21st century, as well as providing relief and welfare support to veterans within our local community. Secretary Tom Rigby said: “The Charity truly believes that it is a great privilege to be partnered with such a prestigious football club as Blackburn Rovers – a club with such a great tradition which is steeped in history, as is our Regiment. “It’s fantastic to be on board and we look forward to the coming season whereby with your name alongside ours will help and surely enhance our fundraising.” ELHT&Me is the official charity of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, who provide care for the East Lancashire population of 530,000. The Trust manages Blackburn Royal Hospital as well as four other hospitals in the region and community services across East Lancashire too. Donations to ELHT&Me improve patient experience and enable the Trust to provide care beyond standard NHS funding. Jonathan Wood, Director of Finance at ELHT, said: “It’s fantastic news that we have been chosen as one of Blackburn Rovers’ charities this year. “The football club plays a huge role in the community we care for and their support will bring awareness to the great work both the hospital and the charity does. “I hope that fans will be inspired and encouraged to get involved with fundraising activities which will benefit their local hospital. We look forward to working in partnership with the club over the next year.” Denise Gee, Fundraising Manager for ELHT&Me, added: “The charity has some really exciting plans for the next year and it’s great that Blackburn Rovers will be a part of them! “Money raised by and for ELHT&Me goes directly to improving patient experience across East Lancashire, including at Royal Blackburn Hospital, and within community services in Blackburn too. “We would like to thank the club for choosing ELHT&Me and we’re confident that this new relationship will help us raise the funds to go above and beyond for our patients.” Gary Robinson, CEO of the award-winning Blackburn Rovers Community Trust, paid tribute to the club for its proactive approach in supporting local worthy causes. “We’re delighted to be the official charity of Blackburn Rovers and pleased to see that three very worthy causes have been chosen alongside us as the club’s nominated charities for the season ahead,” he said. “An amazing amount of good work is undertaken in Blackburn Rovers’ name on a year-round basis and I know that if this year’s nominated charities get as much out of the relationship as we and last season’s three beneficiaries of that status did, a lot of local people are going to be benefiting from the club’s continued generosity. “By working together, we really can maximise the impact of the club’s #OneRovers mission, making Blackburn Rovers accessible to all and a part of as many lives as possible. We’re looking forward to a very successful season – both on and off the field – and thank the club for being such a charitably-minded organisation.”

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