I came across the lads when on holiday in Candolim one Sunday when a group of boys came walking up the beach. I asked what they were doing and it was explained to me that they came down to the beach every weekend for a couple of hours. I decided to walk over and have a chat and then I realised that the children didn’t have a lot apart from what El Shaddai can provide, so I decided I was going to get them all a football shirt each. I worked at Mansfield Town Football Club and over the years, I’ve had a lot of shirts from the teams that I’ve coached and so the following year, I packed up the shirts and bought them out to Goa to give to the children. It bought tears to my eyes as the children were so grateful and polite when receiving their shirts. A few weeks later, Lynne from the charity contacted me to give me a certificate of thanks which again, was a lovely gesture. I’ve watched the lads play football and it was so great to see them.
So, this year I’m in the middle of raising money for new computers for the kids at school and I’m also going to bring some training gear and help coach the kids when I visit Goa next time in January 2025.