Darwen councillor joins Gambia mission

10:00pm Friday 28th September 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Dan Clough, Reporter

Lewis Atkinson, Damien Moulden and Kyle Jackson, from Darwen Spartans, on their previous visit to Gambia and (inset) Coun Stephanie Brookfield. Lewis Atkinson, Damien Moulden and Kyle Jackson, from Darwen Spartans, on their previous visit to Gambia and (inset) Coun Stephanie Brookfield.

A DARWEN councillor has paid to join a charity trip to help children in the north of Gambia.

Coun Stephanie Brookfield will head to the developing African country with youth football team Darwen Spartans in January.

The trip is one of the initiatives of national charity Football Gambia, which promotes educating and developing communities in the country through football.

Coun Brookfield, who was elected to represent the Earcroft ward in May’s elections, said she was looking forward to the trip.

She said: “When Spartans chairman Mark Atkinson came to the town council meeting I thought, ‘what a good idea’.

“I am a big football fan and I am really looking forward to it.

“I will be an emotional wreck by the time I come back, though!

“This will not be a ‘jolly’ by any stretch of the imagination, they will be long days of hard work with very little food.”

The trip will see the team help to set up two nurseries and infant schools in the villages of Sittanunku and Cheesay.

The group will work with children, including orphans, as well as helping teachers and running football coaching sessions.

Coun Brookfield said there were plans in place to look at twinning the villages with Darwen.

She said: “We will take some mementoes over to give to the children.

“We are hoping to twin Darwen with the villages.”

Mark Atkinson said it would be the group’s second trip, with five from the club, including himself, heading to Africa.

He said: “It all stemmed from when we sent kits out a few years ago.

“We had three lads go out last time and it really made a difference to their lives.

“They all got jobs on the back of it and they have done a lot of work in the community in Darwen.

“I have spoken to the Football Gambia founder Ian Stapleton about Stephanie coming over and he was very pleased.

“He said he was looking into arranging for us to meet the village elders and council members over there.”

The group jets off to Gambia on January 26.

Comments (7)

8:01am Sat 29 Sep 12

trigger57 says...

The one without glasses in photo has Mickey Mouse ears, Councillor Brookfield will be loved there I am told they like a good size posterior after a few of the local beers she will be soon be shaking it to them!!!!!.....
The one without glasses in photo has Mickey Mouse ears, Councillor Brookfield will be loved there I am told they like a good size posterior after a few of the local beers she will be soon be shaking it to them!!!!!..... trigger57

10:07am Sat 29 Sep 12

DEO VOLENTE says...

IAs we know Blackburn with Darwen suffers from numerous problems why not concentrate on them? Perhaps by helping the children who have been, and still are being, exploited by evil peadophiles? My advice to anyone who feels they need to help children is to concentrate on their own Towns and Countries. This story highlights a bigger problem whereby Aid from the U.K. and money from Children in Need and other sources is being sent to other countries. In my honestly held opinion this money would be better spent in the U.K. Let the people in Gambia look after their children. We cant afford to when we have so many problems of our own! Remember that charity begins at home! Not in Gambia! Fact!

Deus Vobiscum
IAs we know Blackburn with Darwen suffers from numerous problems why not concentrate on them? Perhaps by helping the children who have been, and still are being, exploited by evil peadophiles? My advice to anyone who feels they need to help children is to concentrate on their own Towns and Countries. This story highlights a bigger problem whereby Aid from the U.K. and money from Children in Need and other sources is being sent to other countries. In my honestly held opinion this money would be better spent in the U.K. Let the people in Gambia look after their children. We cant afford to when we have so many problems of our own! Remember that charity begins at home! Not in Gambia! Fact! Deus Vobiscum DEO VOLENTE

11:49pm Sat 29 Sep 12

DEO VOLENTE says...

THE SILENCE HERE SPEAKS VOLUMES! NOT TO WORRY "TOMORROW BELONGS TO ME!" YOU WILL BE JUDGED ON YOUR FALSE DEEDS! TOMORROW BELONGS TO ME". FACTUM NON VERBA!


DEUS VOBISCUM
THE SILENCE HERE SPEAKS VOLUMES! NOT TO WORRY "TOMORROW BELONGS TO ME!" YOU WILL BE JUDGED ON YOUR FALSE DEEDS! TOMORROW BELONGS TO ME". FACTUM NON VERBA! DEUS VOBISCUM DEO VOLENTE

11:23am Sun 30 Sep 12

happycyclist says...

"Charity... which promotes educating and developing communities in the country through football." Do me a favour. Gambian kids don't need western do-gooders to help them play football. All you need are a few kids, a football, and something to use as goal-posts, as anyone over 30 in Britain will tell you.
Children today expect facilities to be provided and that's what Gambia's kids will grow up expecting. Football is a much, much simpler game for children if you let them get on with it.
"Charity... which promotes educating and developing communities in the country through football." Do me a favour. Gambian kids don't need western do-gooders to help them play football. All you need are a few kids, a football, and something to use as goal-posts, as anyone over 30 in Britain will tell you. Children today expect facilities to be provided and that's what Gambia's kids will grow up expecting. Football is a much, much simpler game for children if you let them get on with it. happycyclist

7:36pm Sun 30 Sep 12

slimitus says...

Darwen councillor , work as a Darwen councillor, go on holiday helping people in another country. What about the people that might need your help in Darwen? Oh yea, that's right, will be off in Gambia
Darwen councillor , work as a Darwen councillor, go on holiday helping people in another country. What about the people that might need your help in Darwen? Oh yea, that's right, will be off in Gambia slimitus

1:02pm Mon 1 Oct 12

louderfasterlonger says...

slimitus wrote:
Darwen councillor , work as a Darwen councillor, go on holiday helping people in another country. What about the people that might need your help in Darwen? Oh yea, that's right, will be off in Gambia
Councillor Brookfield does plenty in both Darwen and Blackburn, why shouldn't she spend her "holiday" helping and encouraging people in one of the most deprived areas of the world ?
This is CHARITY WORK and as such is personal to her own conscience. Like with ANY charity work you can find what you believe are more deserving cases.
Good Luck Cllr Brookfield.
[quote][p][bold]slimitus[/bold] wrote: Darwen councillor , work as a Darwen councillor, go on holiday helping people in another country. What about the people that might need your help in Darwen? Oh yea, that's right, will be off in Gambia[/p][/quote]Councillor Brookfield does plenty in both Darwen and Blackburn, why shouldn't she spend her "holiday" helping and encouraging people in one of the most deprived areas of the world ? This is CHARITY WORK and as such is personal to her own conscience. Like with ANY charity work you can find what you believe are more deserving cases. Good Luck Cllr Brookfield. louderfasterlonger

5:16pm Thu 4 Oct 12

darwenTower says...

happycyclist wrote:
"Charity... which promotes educating and developing communities in the country through football." Do me a favour. Gambian kids don't need western do-gooders to help them play football. All you need are a few kids, a football, and something to use as goal-posts, as anyone over 30 in Britain will tell you.
Children today expect facilities to be provided and that's what Gambia's kids will grow up expecting. Football is a much, much simpler game for children if you let them get on with it.
Ah, but they will need westerners to teach them the sort of greed that will make the nation uninterested in anything other than becoming a sporting superstar or some other form of celebrity.

It would be better if someone would help them get back into producing their own food, like they did before the supermarkets convinced them that they'd be better producing for export and then shafting them.
[quote][p][bold]happycyclist[/bold] wrote: "Charity... which promotes educating and developing communities in the country through football." Do me a favour. Gambian kids don't need western do-gooders to help them play football. All you need are a few kids, a football, and something to use as goal-posts, as anyone over 30 in Britain will tell you. Children today expect facilities to be provided and that's what Gambia's kids will grow up expecting. Football is a much, much simpler game for children if you let them get on with it.[/p][/quote]Ah, but they will need westerners to teach them the sort of greed that will make the nation uninterested in anything other than becoming a sporting superstar or some other form of celebrity. It would be better if someone would help them get back into producing their own food, like they did before the supermarkets convinced them that they'd be better producing for export and then shafting them. darwenTower

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