Here’s a word from Salut! Sunderland‘s good causes department: Martyn McFadden, esteemed editor of the fine Sunderland fanzine, A Love Supreme, has found a brilliant alternative to the World Cup.
With Paul Bramley, Ross and Shirley – “he’s a boy, but we call him that anyway!”, we’re assured – he will be in another part of the African continent, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Steve Cram’s children’s charity Coco.
The news comes in a mass e-mail, with Martyn’s candid declaration: “I’m on the beg.”
“We have a number of events planned to help raise the £12k we need to pull together to trek up the second highest mountain the world,” he says. “But if you are too lazy to leave the house to come to any of them you can help us out by clicking through to http://www.justgiving.com/Martyn-McFadden and donating a bit of cash, even a quid will help.”
When he reaches the target, he intends to give any surplus to the families of Haiti.
Salut! Sunderland is maintaining its pretence of solvency by promising to chip in with £50, when the boat comes in (you’ll have the money by mid-Feb, lads) ..
And I’ve just worked out that they’re probably not doing it instead of the World Cup but as well as. They’ll be staying on to cheer on the red and whites stripes of Paraguay.