Popular football club devastated by arson attack

Close to £6,000 has been raised in just 24 hours for a Midlands football club rocked by a senseless arson attack. Hampton FC's clubhouse in Field Lane, Solihull[1], went up in flames after it was targeted by mindless vandals in the early hours of Tuesday, August 1.

Once home to Jasper Carrott's The Boggery folk club in the 1970s, the building only reopened a few years ago after thousands of pounds had been spent on a major renovation. Siblings Tierney, Cameron and Ruby McArdle, whose father Spencer is club secretary, launched a GoFundMe page online yesterday to raise funds to rebuild it.

"This has left everyone involved in Hampton Football Club shocked and absolutely devastated," they said. "We have seen first hand the love, hard work and dedication not only our dad but so many others put into making this club the club it is.

"This clubhouse holds so many memories for all and this is why it’s so heartbreaking to see it in this way. We hope the community come together to show their support and help us raise money to go towards the rebuild. This won’t be the end of Hampton Football Club."

The page has already raised close to £6,000 of its £50,000 target from just under 200 donations. A number of the region's amateur football clubs have chipped in with donations including Alcester FC, Leamington Hibs, Ajax FC and Sutton United in Birmingham.

The club has about 450 players with around 21 junior teams. The fire affected the bar area in the single-storey building. Thirteen firefighters wore breathing apparatus to gain access to the roof space, which showed signs of collapse.

Firefighters battled to prevent the flames from spreading to the changing facilities at Hampton FC Firefighters battled to prevent the flames from spreading to the changing facilities at Hampton FC

"A ground-floor cellar, a pitched roof insulated with straw and wooden panelling were 100% damaged," a West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson had said. Crews worked to confine the blaze and "to prevent significant fire spread to the nearby changing-room facilities."

The service continues to investigate the cause of the blaze. Donations can be left at the GoFundMe page.[3]

References

  1. ^ Solihull (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
  2. ^ Coventry nursery responds after Ofsted inspection found young children 'not kept safe' (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
  3. ^ GoFundMe page. (www.gofundme.com)

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