The eight football tournament in memory of brave Elliot Wild took place this weekend with a record amount of £34,030.71 being raised.
In total, 152 teams took part in The Claire House Cup, which was held at Ocean Fields at Wirral Rugby Club on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June.
The annual event is organised by Jackie Wild, in memory of her son Elliot who sadly died in 2011.
Following the upset of having to reschedule the event, originally set for 15th and 16th June, the new tournament held more pressure but reaching the figure of £34,030.71 made every second worth it for the team.
Speaking on the event, Jackie said: “We as a family are completely blown away by the record amount raised over the weekend.
“It was great to see so many kids having a fantastic time playing football whilst helping children less fortunate than themselves, it was a sight to behold.”
“We cannot believe that there are still over 200 families Claire House is currently not reaching. As a family, we dread to think that could have been us in our darkest hour in Elliot’s final days. Because of this, we are driven to help Claire House raise vital funds in memory of our handsome son Elliot.”
Along with Jackie and her family, the Claire House Cup weekends are supported by a number of volunteers and sponsors.
For the fourth year running, B&M Waste Services chose to sponsor the tournament, with Neston Building Supplies once again sponsoring the trophies.
Neil Curtis, Managing Director at B&M Waste Services, said: “B&M Waste were incredibly proud to sponsor the Claire House Cup once again. Attending the weekend with my son’s football team allowed me to see first-hand how well organised and supported the event was by Jackie Wild, the Claire House team and volunteers. B&M are longstanding sponsors of the charity and it has been outstanding to see the Claire House Cup grow every year, raising a record-breaking £34,020.71 this year! Congratulations to all involved in raising such a fantastic amount of money in memory of Elliot Wild.”
Jackie said: “We want to say a heartfelt thanks to all of the JM Ret team and Ray Redmond from Everton FC for pulling the tournament together and to our wonderful sponsors. With a special thank you to our headline sponsors B&M Waste Services, all of the supporters and most of all, the 1,450 kids that played at the weekend.”
Jessica Campbell from Claire House Children’s Hospice, said: “Jackie and her family, as well as all the volunteers, work so hard to make sure that it’s an amazing weekend for everyone involved. We’d like to say a massive thank you to each of them for their amazing support and continued fundraising for Claire House. They truly are an inspiration.”
The record amount of £34,030.71 from this year’s Claire House Cup, brings the total amount raised for Claire House to nearly £300,000, since the tournament started in 2011.
Jackie closes by saying: “For us, there’s no better legacy to our football mad boy than The Claire House Cup.”
