Andrew Baker the mastermind behind Play2Give recently achieved his goal to raise £20,000 for the Oxford Children’s Hospital at this year’s cheque presentation.
This year’s football tournament in the summer contested by 29 mens teams from across the county ranging in a calibre of teams and skills has added over an extra £5,000 into the Children’s Hospital funds.
The event on Sunday, July 5th was a resounding success and has helped Andrew smash his £20,000 target for the Children’s Hospital.
When Andrew set out to fundraise aged just 14 in 2003, beginning his efforts with fellow school friends at St Birinus School in Didcot, he pledged to raise a grand total of £20,000 as his way of repayment back to the John Radcliffe Children’s Hospital, after he was successfully treated as a youngster.
Andrew, along with his fellow event organisers, visited the Children’s Hospital yesterday morning to present a grand cheque representing the amount raised. From the football fanatics and with a charity party at the end of September, a combined total of £5,154.52 was handed over for this year’s total to Penny Hambridge and Sarah Vaccari from the Children’s Hospital’s charitable funds.
Pictured above from left to right: Teresa Thompson, Dale Harris and Andrew, centre, with fellow organiser Chris Tarratt all presenting their recent cheque raised from this summer’s football tournament to Penny Hambridge from the John Radcliffe charitable funds.
Andrew in total has now raised over £22,600 for the Hospital as his debt of gratitude after following major brain surgery aged 12, in 2001. Andrew whose neurological symptoms have re-emerged this year has vowed to carry on fundraising despite surpassing his initial goal, and hopes to organise another football tournament with the team next summer.
