Sheffield Wednesday fans have come together to raise nearly £25,000 in response to one fan who mocked the memory of tragic Bradley Lowery.
Bradley was an inspirational young man who caught the heart of the nation as he bravely battled Neuroblastoma – a rare form of cancer that affects children. The young Sunderland fan struck a heart-warming friendship with then Black Cats and England striker Jermain Defoe in the months prior to his passing.
Wednesday fan Dale Houghton sparked fury when a picture emerged of him holding up an image of the six-year-old Sunderland mascot, who died from cancer in 2017, smirking while he did. Houghton, 31, has admitted a public order offence during the 3-0 home defeat at Hillsborough..
In the wake of distressing images circulating on social media, Owls supporter Leanne Wood – a member of the Sheffield Wednesday Women’s Supporters Group – started a GoFundMe page with proceeds going to the Bradley Lowery Foundation. Initially aiming to raise £5,000, incredibly, the total currently stands in excess of £24,000.
The donations page has gone far and wide with Owls captain Barry Bannan and midfielder Will Vaulks amongst those helping to bolster the fund. Donations have been made from over 1,600 people, turning a gross negative into a huge positive.
Leanne told swfc.co.uk: “I saw the images circulating and they made me feel sick. So I had the idea of a fundraiser to combat this and show that those actions do not in any way reflect us as a fanbase.
“I put the idea to the Women’s Supporter Group and they said they would support me all the way with this. We’ve got some of the best fans in the country, home and away.
“Wednesday fans, and the people of Sheffield in general, have hearts of gold and I had no doubt they would get behind this. Bradley’s family and the Bradley Lowery Foundation reached out to say how grateful they are – these donations make a massive difference to the foundation, to help raise awareness and research to combat this terrible disease is vital.”
On the donations so far, Leanne continued: “I didn’t know what target to set at first! I discussed it with my other half, who said put a few thousand so I thought I’ll put £5,000. I expected a response from our fans who are generous and caring people.
“It started with Wednesday fans but the donations have also come from lots of different clubs – Bradley’s story brought the football community together. He loved football. We’ve had donations from the players and some very generous anonymous ones too.
“I want to give credit to everyone. Everyone who has got behind this fundraising push to help turn this negative into a real positive where some good has come through.”
Sheffield Wednesday echoed Leanne’s sentiments and said they are proud of the effort. If you would like to donate to Leanne’s GoFundMe page please click here.
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