British Army Veteran Jonathan Farrelly hopes to raise £50,000 for Blesma by putting on a veterans vs civilians football match on 27 June.
Jonathan established the Combined Veterans Football Club (CVFC) in December with the aim of raising funds for Blesma and other military charities after seeing smaller veterans’ charities struggle during COVID-19.
“I’ve set up a Facebook page and the response has been overwhelming,” said the 32 year old from Weston-super-Mare.
“People I didn’t know began offering to help – a few celebrities have even offered their support.” The CVFC’s match against Weston All Stars is set to take place at Riverside, Branwell, with live entertainment and food and drink also on offer.
“The health and safety procedures are complete, we’ve had kits made for both teams, and we’ve already sold 100 tickets,” said Jonathan.
“We’ve achieved a lot so far so hopefully we can raise a good amount for Blesma. I’ve seen the fantastic work the charity does as it has supported my friend Scott Yarrington, who lost both his legs in Afghanistan, so it will be good to give back.”
Jonathan has big ideas for the team’s future including an attempt to break the world record for the longest football match, and fixtures against a German or American veterans’ team.
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