Supporting Unpaid Carers in Merton - Carers Support Merton

A Day with the Dons!
A team of 14 Young Carers spent a day in their half
term experiencing football as it should be! Forget
the glamour, forget the WAGs, forget the scandals,
we wanted to see real football, at a club at the heart
of it’s community, where passion and not money is
the Club’s focus. And that is exactly what we got
when we visited AFC Wimbledon at the Kings
Meadow Stadium in Kingston.
Young Carers
were treated to a tour of the grounds, we went into
the changing rooms to meet the players who chatted
away to our young people like old friends, we got to
train with one of the Club coaches before the match
and then prime position on the terraces for kick off!
Unfortunately the Dons failed to score, with
Darlington winning 2-0, however it was the taking
part, for us at least, that counted.
Many of the Young Carers told us this was the first ever real life football they had been
to watch, some were surprised at how different watching a live game is to watching one
on TV but everyone agreed that even standing up through the 90 mins game on a late
October afternoon was well worth it, especially with the chips at half time!
We are establishing firm links with AFC Wimbledon
in order to offer similar opportunities in the future.
Children aged 5-10 have been invited to their Xmas
Bash on Sunday 19th December– don’t forget to
send in your reply slips ASAP to secure your place!
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