Acrisure Nottingham Announces 2026 Charity of the Year as Local Baby Loss Football Team
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
Acrisure Nottingham, formerly Russell Scanlan, has announced its 2026 Charity of the Year as Sands United FC Nottingham.
Acrisure colleagues at Grove House in West Bridgford will dedicate a year of fundraising to the local football team, made up of fathers and family members, impacted by baby loss.
Driven by Local Charity Committee Co-Chairs Joanne Marriott, Commercial Broking Director at Acrisure UK Broking and Sharron Torr, Private Client Manager, staff are set to get involved in events such as bi-annual bake-offs and Acrisure Nottingham’s highly anticipated charity quiz. It marks the first time the company has selected a charity focusing on men’s health and wellbeing as its Charity of the Year.
Sands United FC Nottingham was founded by Sands charity Trustee and bereaved father Raj Chagger. Raj sadly lost his son Riaan to a rare condition in November 2020, and quickly noticed limited support for dads dealing with baby loss. It was this firsthand experience that drove Raj to create a safe and low-pressure space for men to come together and form a community.
The Nottingham team is one of more than 30 local Sands football clubs across the United Kingdom. It is officially affiliated with the national charity Sands – the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity.
Joanne said: “For almost 25 years, we have dedicated a year of fundraising efforts to excellent causes at both a national and local level. We’re delighted to be supporting Sands United FC Nottingham – an inspirational community initiative right on our doorstep.
“Raj’s story and determination to create something so positive from such a tragic loss, has touched our staff immensely, and we couldn’t be prouder to be fundraising for such a wonderful cause. We’re excited to see what our Nottingham team can achieve in 2026.”
Sands United FC Nottingham was set up in January 2023 and hosted its first meet up the same year in March. Given the universal appeal of football, Raj’s team is a way to bring men together in an informal setting to build relationships and feel at ease talking about grief when they feel ready to do so. The team now has 65 members, with men coming from across the East Midlands to get involved.
Raj said: “Support from organisations such as Acrisure Nottingham is a strong reminder that baby loss is not something that men should have to face in silence. Recognition like this is not just important financially, but also in helping to raise vital awareness of the work we’re doing. We’re incredibly grateful to have been selected as its 2026 beneficiary.”
Acrisure Nottingham’s announcement comes after its most successful year of charity fundraising to date, with the team raising more than £11,000 for its 2025 Charity of the Year, Trent Bridge Community Trust.
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