Charity makes hoodie donation to father support football team

The Black Country Radio Buskin' for Charity group have made a donation of hooded tops with logos and children's names to SANDS, which works to support anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.

SANDS also carries out vital work to improve maternity safety through targeted research, campaigning for change, working with government and reducing inequalities in healthcare to save babies' lives.

It has set up a football team as a way of getting fathers who have lost children active, as well as providing a place for them to open and talk about they feel.

Brian Dakin, who performs as Billy Spakemon on Black Country Radio and as part of the Buskin' for Charity group, said he had been contacted by Jake Hildred from SANDS to talk about doing something special for those people involved in the team.

He said: "We decided to help SANDS after being contacted by Sandra Vaughan from Black Country Mental Health, who had come on Black Country Radio Xtra to talk to us and said that they were supporting Sands and asked if we would fundraise for them, which we were happy to do.

"They do great work bringing fathers together as part of the football team to train and sit down and talk about how they feel.

"Jake got in touch one day to ask about whether we could help with some training hoodies with the logo and each child's name on the back of the relevant hoodie, so we said we would do that as an advance on the fundraising."

Mr Dakin said the donation was another part of the work being done across the community by Buskin' for Charity, which raises thousands of pounds each year for charities across the Black Country.

This includes a planned football match between Buskin' for Charity and SANDS in June, which will help to raise more funds for the charity.

He said it was a privilege to help charities such as Sands and see the work they do, and said raising awareness was the biggest part of the work.

He said: "What we do helps to reach charities and raise awareness for the whole community, so it's a real privilege to sit down and talk to these groups and see them making the difference they are.

"It also helps form a community which grabs the reins and becomes more socially aware through events, which helps us to help charities such as SANDS, who I wouldn't have known about without the contacts I have."

To find out more about Buskin' for Charity, go to blackcountryradio.co.uk/local/calendar/category/busking-for-charity.