SALE Sharks have donated £15,000 to Manchester-based children’s bereavement charity Once Upon a Smile.
The charity provides both emotional and practical support to families at their time of need following the death of a parent or child and is a vital cause close to the club’s heart.
The Sharks decided to nominate last November’s Anglo-Welsh Cup clash with Saracens at the AJ Bell Stadium as a one-off charitable game with proceeds raised going towards Once Upon a Smile.
To help boost the cause on the night, the Sharks’ first team wore a special limited-edition orange shirt featuring the Once Upon a Smile logo with the match-worn jerseys later auctioned off in aid of the charity.
The £15,000 donation was also raised from the sales of the special replica orange shirts to Sharks supporters alongside a percentage of ticket sales from the game as well as from cash raised by other special prizes available on the night.
Yesterday, Michelle Orange, wife of Sale Sharks co-owner Simon Orange, and Lisa Robinson, Sale Sharks’ retail manager, presented the £15,000 cheque at half-time during the club’s Aviva Premiership home match with Worcester Warriors to the co-founders of Once Upon a Smile, Dan Jillings and Emmerdale star Danny Miller.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here