Acorns Day

Saturday 10th March 2012

Fabulous result for recent Acorns Day campaign - raises incredible six figure sum!

We are delighted to announce that Aston Villa's ‘Acorns Day’ fundraising activities raised a fantastic final total of

£108,835 - enough to run an Acorns hospice for TWO WEEKS!

The Club dedicated their home match day against Fulham to a series of events in aid of Acorns as their official charity partner – fun runs to cake sales, classic car washes to an online auction, and dress down days to family fun activities all took place on the day of the Fulham game.

Villa supporters and staff, players and management and people from the local community and much further afield came together in a concerted effort to raise vital funds to provide the necessary care for more than 600 local life-limited and life-threatened children.

The Club’s aim was to raise £50,000 – the amount of money it takes to run an Acorns hospice for one week.

Villa’s players donated a percentage of their match fee. Shay Given donated his win bonus. The match-worn shirts from the 1-0 victory over Fulham, two rare Villa shirts bearing the Acorns logo - which were produced especially for Villa chairman Randy Lerner – and a football signed by Darren Bent from the 2-2 draw against QPR when the Villa striker netted his 100th Premier League goal were all up for grabs on eBay.

The grand total raised came to a gratifying £54,417.57 – a sum which has been matched by the Villa Board to give us a fabulous final figure of £108, 835.14.

David Strudley, CEO of Acorns, said: “To have reached the target set for Acorns Day was a wonderful achievement in itself. For the Club to generously double the amount raised is beyond all expectations.

“This amazing amount will allow us to run a 10-bed hospice offering respite, emergency and end-of-life care to local children for two whole weeks.

“On behalf of all the children and families at Acorns, I would like to say a huge thank you to the Club, players, fans and, in particular, Randy Lerner for this wonderful gift. It is a true testament to the strength of this unique and very special relationship.”

On behalf of the Villa Board, Chairman Randy Lerner said: “The Board of Aston Villa is proud because, while no amount of financial support can be called enough for the work and service that Acorns provides the communities that it serves, the efforts given by Villa supporters, players and management has resulted in gifts in excess of £100,000.

“From our point of view, the committing of our match against Fulham on March 10 at  Villa Park to our official charity has allowed us to remain true to everything this Club has stood for throughout its rich history.

“William McGregor, founder of the Football League and former Chairman of Villa, once referred to the Club’s ‘activity in philanthropic enterprise’ and insisted that ‘superiors of Aston Villa cannot be found’. It’s nice to know that these traditions and ideals and this spirit within the Club lives on.

“We so warmly thank the countless many that made Acorns Day at Villa Park so special, including the players and management of Fulham. These are people who will never be thanked properly but who have made an enormous difference to those less fortunate.

“Finally, a special thanks to David Strudley, who serves tirelessly and selflessly for the benefit of others.”

Paul Faulkner, Villa Chief Executive, added: "Acorns Day generated a phenomenal response among staff, supporters, players and management and all of these efforts combined will make a very real difference to Acorns Children's Hospice.

"I'm especially delighted by the way our fans supported this campaign, emphasising again the depth and enduring nature of our relationship with Acorns.

"David has said it before and it's true, we're really family now and the generous response to Acorns Day demonstrates how much this relationship means to everybody at the Club."

David Strudley and the children and families of Acorns will be present to receive the cheque for £108,835.14 on behalf of Acorns at Aston Villa's game against Chelsea on Saturday, March 31 at Villa Park.

If you missed this opportunity to take part or would like to lend your support to continue fundraising efforts for Acorns click here to make an online donation 

Alternatively as ever our Text to Donate number is still live simply text:

AVFC12 £3 to 70070

100% of your donation will come to Acorns as there are no network charges using this JustTextGiving by Vodafone service.