Northampton firms battle it out on football pitch to raise money for Crazy Hats

The 11-a-side match - Avon vs Carlsberg - took place on Friday at Bugbrooke St Michael’s Football Club.

Glennis Hooper and Marilyn Clapham from Crazy Hats with some of those who took part

It was a fun and steady game, but Carlsberg took the win and made it 3-0 before the final whistle was blown.

Crazy Hats is a Wellingborough-based charity which supports people in the county affected by breast cancer.

The charity funds agreed projects at both Kettering and Northampton general hospitals in the breast care and oncology departments, and its long-term aim is to provide a dedicated breast cancer support centre in the county.

Avon, which has supported Crazy Hats for more than 10 years, has also supported breast cancer care globally for more than 25 years and raised millions of pounds.

To raise as much money as possible for the cause, a raffle prize draw took place at the end of the match.

This included a wide range of prizes including a signed England football shirt, Live Nation tickets, Avon make-up bundles, watches and Cobblers tickets.

Fundraising for Crazy Hats was driven by Avon UK Northampton associate Richard Lockerbie who organised the game.

Mr Lockerbie, global category manager marketing and sales for Avon UK, said: “The game was a great opportunity to raise money for a cause that really matters to Avon.

“I decided to challenge Carlsberg because I knew that it would be fantastic for two credible local businesses to compete on the pitch for the same end goal.

“Avon is the company for women and events like this really help to support the causes that are close to the heart of the brand.”

Glennis Hooper, executive fundraiser for Crazy Hats Breast Cancer Appeal, said: “We were delighted that Avon and Carlsberg came together to play a competitive football match against each other to raise funds for Crazy Hats.

“Not only was it great fun, it was a poignant and proud moment when the Avon players come out on to the field wearing pink shirts with the Crazy Hats logo emblazoned on the front.

“We are extremely grateful that two such high-profile companies based in the county should be supporting us.

“A football match such as this is a wonderful and moving way of bringing a group of people together to show such support and a feeling of togetherness.

“For the patient and carers, and indeed the medical professionals, it is very uplifting to know there are such generous people ‘out there’ supporting the cause.

“Not only have they funded many, many projects, they have also helped considerably to raise the profile of Crazy Hats within the community.”

Bruce Ray, corporate affairs director for Carlsberg UK, said: “We were delighted when Avon challenged us to a match.

“It’s fantastic for two global businesses to come together through sport and to raise valuable funds for a local charity.

“We’re truly proud to have been brewing in Northampton since the 1970s and many of our employees live in the local community, so they were all very excited to hear about the big match.

“Both teams played really well and it was great to see colleagues turn out to support them.”

To date, Avon has raised more than £19 million to support breast cancer charities and more than £2 million to support domestic violence charities.