We are pleased to announce that the playing and coaching staff of the Mariners have elected to support the Sunflowers Children’s Action Group as part of their work in the community this season.

The charity, as well as the children they support and their families, were at Saturday’s match against Accrington Stanley and received free tickets and refreshments courtesy of the Community Partnership Fund.

A small, volunteer-run charity that was formed in 2019, Sunflowers Children’s Action Group create special, inclusive events and activities for children suffering from life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

These conditions mean the children the charity work with often miss out on parties and special events and that they may also endure harsh and painful treatments while potentially lacking quality time with their families and friends.

We were delighted to be able to welcome the charity, its children and families to Blundell Park on Saturday and, on his squad supporting them throughout this season, Town manager Paul Hurst said: “We all wanted to support a charity which was local to hopefully help raise its profile, as well as supporting their events with player visits.

“The guys from Sunflowers came and visited us at the training ground recently and they explained how the charity started. We also heard about how they support the children and their families.

“It was great to have them at the game at the weekend and we look forward to working with them to support the great work they do over the course of the season.”

Debbie Cook, Mariners CEO, said: “I’m delighted that our players have chosen to support this local charity this season. The volunteers at Sunflowers do amazing work to support local children and their families. It’s so important to us as a Club to get behind good causes in our community.

“This connection adds to the support we are giving to local charity Harbour Place which supports homeless people through profits from this season’s third shirt, and also the partnership we have with the local branch of the NSPCC, working to keep children safe from harm.

“The Community Partnership Fund enabled us to allocate free tickets and refreshments to the families that Sunflowers support for the game at the weekend and I hope all the families had a great day with us!”

You can find out more about the Sunflowers Children’s Action Group on their website HERE.

UTM