Back in December, Yozu attended Liverpool FC’s Forever Reds charity event to witness a fantastic £80k raised for a worthy cause.
Our Chief Operating Officer (and lifelong Liverpool fan) Paul Davies went along as a guest of Liverpool Chamber and LFC’s Hospitality Sales team.
We caught up with Paul to find out how the event went…
So What is Forever Reds All About?
Forever Reds was created by the club to ensure former players always feel part of the LFC family. It’s the official former players association and they raise money for local charities and ex-players needing support through events like golf days, or indeed the annual Christmas lunch.
Who Has Forever Reds Helped Recently?
Well, John Aldridge is Chairman of Forever Reds and he gave a great update on their recent activity. Firstly, he mentioned that the club was there in the final days for the legendary defender Ron Yeats who sadly died last year.
Forever Reds also made the first significant donation that got the ball rolling for Liverpool’s baby hospice Zoe’s Place, which faced closure last year. Thankfully, the city made a massive effort to keep its doors open and Forever Reds involvement was instrumental in raising the profile of the fundraising challenge.
What Was the Format of the Fundraiser?
So, the event was held at Anfield in ‘The Beautiful Game’ hospitality lounge which looks out onto the pitch – it was really interesting to see the groundsmen at work in an empty stadium to see how they maintain the pitch (sorry, but I’m an operations geek!).
On arrival, there was a chance to be pictured with the Champions League trophy and pre-drinks. Later on, there was a full dinner, Q&A sessions with ex-players and then the donations and raffle to help raise vital funds for Forever Reds causes.
What Was The Highlight Of The Day For You?
Getting to meet the ex-players was fantastic and it was wonderful to see over 25 of them turn out for this event to raise important funds for the organisation. I had also an excellent chat with the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Thiago and former manager Roy Evans, and it was great to see the human side to the people we watch on TV.
It was also good to see Alan Hansen looking well after a serious illness and he was in fine form.
I also met Jamie Byrne and Lindsey Corlett from the LFC Hospitality team who really looked after us, and caught up with James Parker from Liverpool Chamber.
It Sounds Like a Great Day Was Had By All?
Absolutely, there was a lot of energy in the room, and it was great listening to players, old and new, talking about their experiences.
I was so pleased to hear that they managed to raise £80,000 on the day and they can continue their good work.
As a bonus, I also spotted that not only did a picture of James and I appear on the Liverpool website with Daniel Sturridge, but it also made it into the matchday programme for the Liverpool v Man United game – I don’t think I could have asked for more. It was great to represent Yozu at such a high profile event!
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