On Saturday 24th August, Guildford company Kelly’s Storage, hosted a charity 5-a-side football tournament where 100% of money raised went to local disabled children’s charity, Challengers.

Staff members from Kelly’s organised the tournament as part of a company pledge to raise £10,000 as a birthday present for Challengers, who have been providing play opportunities for local disabled children for 40 years this year.

At the start of the summer, Kelly’s invited a parent from the charity to speak to the staff team about the impact Challengers has on her disabled young daughter and the rest of the family. Employees were moved by her story and inspired to get fundraising to help the charity carry on its good work in the community!

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The tournament pitted local businesses against each other in head-to-head matches at Surrey FA’s fabulous Meadowbank Football Ground in Dorking, on what turned out to be a very hot morning over the bank holiday weekend. Companies donated to Challengers for their place in the tournament and received a bespoke team shirt and refreshments paid for by Kelly’s Storage in return. The atmosphere was fun but competitive, with plenty of fast and furious matches played on the excellent FIFA quality pro pitches. Supporters could watch the games whilst children had space for a kick around too.

After two hours of exciting football, The British Wood Flooring Company from Grayshott took home the winners’ cup in a tense 1-0 final. Team Captain, David Bedding, couldn’t make it on the day as his son Fergus, who attends Challengers, was recovering from an operation in hospital. He said, “The boys really enjoyed the event, obviously winning helped, and they’re all up for it again next year. It’s great that you’ve raised so much, this will mean 15 kids like Fergus get a day’s play which is fantastic. Keep up the good work, it really is appreciated by families”.

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Stephen Bradshaw, Surrey FA CEO said, "We were delighted to support this fantastic event at Meadowbank Football Ground. Challengers is wonderful organisation, doing amazing work within our local community and we hope to have another opportunity to support them in the near future."

The tournament raised £1500 for Challengers. Nick Kennedy, Kelly’s document storage driver who organised the tournament, said, “I play football myself and after hearing more about what Challengers means to the families from a parent directly, I thought this could be a great way to fundraise for them. Working with Surrey FA meant we could offer a great professional venue, and we thank all the companies who took part – even the ones who beat Kelly’s!”