An annual football match between staff from Reading’s Select Car Leasing has raised more than a thousand pounds for palliative and bereavement support charity Sue Ryder.
(Team Tongue, above)
The yearly exhibition has been a fixture of the Select Car Leasing calendar since 2022, with games played at Reading F.C’s Select Car Leasing stadium.
This year saw a side managed by Select’s Joint CEO and founder Mark Tongue securing bragging rights having recorded a 5-2 win against a team watched-over by fellow Joint CEO and founder James O’Malley.
Goals from Ryan Amos, Tim Cowper, Matt Eldred, Charlie Cooper - and an own goal from the opposition - secured the victory, despite pacey leasing consultant Aleksey Storchak having limped off injured.
(Team O'Malley, above)
And with donations still flooding in, more than £1,000 has been raised so far - all of it going to the Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice, located in Southcote, Berks.
Select’s Mark Tongue said: “The buzz around this year’s charity football match reached fever pitch and occasions like this are to be savoured as it brings the whole company together.
“But, of course, there’s a much more important reason to hold the match, and that’s to raise funds for Sue Ryder, a charity we’ve supported as a company since 2014. Many of us here at Select, and people from across Reading, have been personally touched by the incredible work the charity carries out and we’re extremely proud to be in partnership with them.”
Sue Ryder’s mission is that ‘no-one should face death or grief alone’.
The Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice offers palliative care and support to people across Berkshire living with a life-limiting condition, as well as supporting their families.
In September 2022, Select Car Leasing also donated three Audi A1 cars to Sue Ryder Palliative Care Hub South Oxfordshire, based in Wallingford, which currently enable Sue Ryder nurses to make essential visits to patients out in the community.
Together, the hub’s team of nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, family support and befrienders provide a ‘Hospice at Home’ service, Day Service and Care Coordination and Advice Line.
Jennifer Patient, Community Fundraising Manager at Sue Ryder commented: “We are so grateful that Select Car Leasing chose to support Sue Ryder once again through their successful charity football match. The support we get from businesses such as Select Car Leasing means Sue Ryder can continue to provide compassionate end-of-life care for those that need it. We are so thankful for their support.”
This year’s Select soccer match was also intriguing for fans of Newcastle United, Hibernian and Swindon Town, as it saw those clubs’ ex-player Alan O’Brien taking to the field once more.
Republic of Ireland winger Alan, 39, is now a Swindon-based car leasing specialist with Select.
Select Car Leasing has been Reading F.C’s Principal Partner since 2021.
The Select Car Leasing Charity Football JustGiving page is still live and welcomes donations.
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