The charity, Footballs For Fun, celebrates its eighth year with a fund-raising Concert, at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square at 19:30 on 10 July.

John and Sue Haycock, Chiswick residents for 25 years, started the charity in 2004, on the weekend it was announced that South Africa would hold the World Cup in 2010.

"When we realised how important an event this was, we decided to try to help the millions of children in Africa for whom the World Cup would make no difference, by asking tourists going on holiday or safari to take a football, and give it away".

"But in addition, £2 from every ball sold goes to helping needy children, so we create fun and help those less fortunate, in both senses of the word" said Sue.

You can buy a ball on line www.footballs4fun.org­ or better still come to the concert.

The Concert, featuring The London Chorus and conductor Ronald Corp, awarded an OBE this year, will sing John Rutter's hauntingly popular REQUIEM; this will be preceded by the world premiere of William Dougherty's RIPPLES OF HOPE, based on the famous speech by Senator Robert Kennedy at University of Cape Town in 1966. The Darius Brubeck Quartet will also perform a 30 minute jazz set especially for the charity.

Tickets, from £25 to £6, are available on-line from www.smitf.org or phone the box office, 020 7766 1100. Or contact John or Sue at 020 8994 3013 for more information.

July 3, 2012