Hospices net £48,072 thanks to charity football tournament

The third annual Berkeley Homes football tournament has raised a total of £48,072 for Demelza, a charity providing invaluable care for life-limited and life-threatened children and their families across South East London, Kent and East Sussex.

The five-a-side competition took place on 12 September in the shadow of the national stadium at the Powerleague Wembley pitches, with 36 teams made up of Berkeley Homes staff and partners and contractors assembling to fight for the chance of lifting the coveted trophy in the sunshine.

The tournament saw some great, competitive football and after hours of play, McGinley were presented with the winning trophy following a resounding 3-2 victory after a penalty shootout, over their opponents Houston Cox.

Tamdown won the Plate competition by beating the Berkeley World All Stars A, and the Wooden Spoon competition winners were CZWG.

Berkeley Homes has been working with Demelza since 2012, raising over £126,000 to date.  Volunteers from Berkeley Homes regularly provide support at the Demelza hospices, undertaking a number of DIY and gardening projects as well as helping to sort through donations before Christmas.  Earlier this year, the team embarked on the Ben Nevis Challenge, raising £5,000 in the process.

Steve Hoy, chief executive of Demelza, said: "The support that Berkeley Homes gives us is absolutely fantastic, and their fundraising surpasses itself year after year.  This money can go towards funding a specially trained nurse, who will touch the lives of a vast number of our children and their families.  Both the money raised and the time spent volunteering throughout the year are incredibly valuable to Demelza, and we'd like to thank Berkeley Homes for all their ongoing efforts."

Karl Whiteman, Divisional Managing Director at Berkeley Homes, said: "We're thrilled that so many of our colleagues and partners have come out and enjoyed themselves at the tournament for the third year running.  While the rivalries seem to be intensifying, for us the highlight of the event was being able to hand over £48,000 to a charity that does remarkable work with children and families affected by life-threatening conditions, and we're looking forward to continuing this partnership."