Players launch pant-astic charity campaign for Railway Children
Howard Lake | 4 April 2006 | Newswire
Crewe Alex football players have been pulling on pairs of Y-fronts to launch a new charity crusade called ‘Why Day’.
They are calling on their fans and the rest of the footballing population to wear some fun pants in aid of Railway Children, an international charity for street children based in Crewe.
The purpose of Why Day is to highlight the growing numbers of children living on the streets and to help bring about change. The campaign encourages people to ask themselves ‘why’ there are 120 million children on the streets and to take action by fundraising.
Donations will be used to provide practical help for Britain’s runaways and street children in countries such as India, Guatemala, Mexico, Tanzania and Kenya, as well as survivors of the Tsunami.
‘Wearing Y-fronts for Why Day’ aims to raise awareness of the fundraising campaign and persuade people to consider organising a fun event in aid of Railway Children.
Katie Mason, events manager, from Railway Children, based in Crewe said: It sounds a lot sillier than it is but really it’s no different to how Red Nose Day first started.
Footy fans are no strangers to the daft and have embraced anthems such as ‘Vindaloo’ in previous world cups! We hope that our ‘Tribal Pants’ bearing the St Georges Cross will catch on and raise our profile as a charity.
It would be great if people wear them in the stands, stadiums and on the football pitches around the world, especially with the impending FIFA World Cup kicking off in June.â€
Crewe Alexandra’s team, known as The Railwaymen, were chosen to officially launch Railway Children’s campaign because both organisations are based locally in Crewe and there is an obvious link with the club’s nickname. Luckily the players are all good sports too.
At the Crewe Vs Coventry Match on March 25, thousands of home and away fans were urged to support the campaign when an announcement is made over the ground’s loud speaker system.
Steve Jones, Crewe Alexandra striker, said: There are 120 million children living on the streets and it is a major social problem that we must tackle together.
Why Day is about taking a step back from everyday life and asking ourselves why there are so many street children and what we can do to help.
Although we recognise that street living is a very serious problem, fundraising can be made enjoyable and so we hope that football fans will join in with the Why Campaign.â€
Businesses and individuals are being invited to organise a ‘Why? Day’ event at any time – but the official ‘Why Day’ is Friday, May 12.
Events can include anything from a sponsored ‘wear your Y-fronts to work’ to a coffee morning, football match or even a Why Day quiz.
Jane Simpson, Head of Fundraising at Railway Children, explained: It’s easy to ask why things like this happen. But it takes more effort to do something about it. That is what Why Day is all about. Railway Children aims to make contact with children as soon as they arrive on the streets. We know that if they are helped sooner rather than later we have a chance of saving them from a lifetime of street living. A life that all too often involves abuse, prostitution and violence.â€
The charity has been established for more than 10 years and uses donations to help street children who live in the UK and across the rest of the world.
Projects are currently helping more than 12,000 children across the world.
For a fundraising pack please call The Railway Children ‘Why Don’t You?’ team on 01270 251 571 or e-mail ev****@ra*************.uk
Or, for brave people who want to make their ‘Why Day’ a ‘Y-front day?’ please order some pants online at www.whyday.org.uk. There are no rules just wear the England-themed Y-Fronts (on top of your clothes if preferred), then try to raise as much money as possible. Every single penny will really help make a lasting difference to children’s lives.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.