The Steve Prescott Foundation are delighted to once again support Team Chocolate Oranges appeal and provide our NHS heroes with a token gesture of a Chocolate Orange as a thank you for the fantastic work they do throughout the year.

The SPF are hoping that all National Conference League and Amateur Clubs can join forces and collect Chocolate Oranges on behalf of Team Chocolate Orange, once collected by the 13th Dec they can either get in touch with the SPF or take to their local hospital or hospice on the 14th Dec and then send a pic and the amount of Oranges donated to the SPF so we can keep tally.

For more information on how you can get involved please call Martin on 07971792859

DOWNLOAD POSTER

Organiser Chris Lamb explains how the incredible Team Chocolate Orange began >>>

The aim of the campaign is to do positive things for others at what is a difficult time for many in the run up to the festive season. I lost Elliott on 15 December 2010 and back then I never wanted to celebrate Christmas again. I never saw a way through it the darkness that comes with grief but with time, I was able to concentrate on more positive activities that helped to bring some focus back into my life.

I originally started to buy chocolate oranges for the medics who looked after Elliott in 2008. He was in hospital with pneumonia and one of the physios did a really good job with him and his oxygen saturation levels reached 100% which was very hard to achieve. I bought them a chocolate orange to say thank you and word soon got round to the nurses in ICU who looked after Elliott. The following day I was inundated with nurses asking where their chocolate oranges were. I ended up buying them every time Elliott was in hospital. I was always so grateful to everyone who looked after Elliott as they showed such care and compassion to him. They became like family members to me.

I wanted to do something positive, to cherish all those precious memories of Elliott and to say a small but special thank you to those incredible people who had looked after him throughout his four short years. So I started off on a very small scale and with the help of friends, family and colleagues I collected 145 Terry’s Chocolate Oranges and duly distributed them to nurses and doctors at Whiston Hospital, Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice and Alder Hey Hospital. They were very gratefully received and also it gave me an enormous sense of pride that I was able talk to people about Elliott and his story of bravery and courage.

DOWNLOAD POSTER

Since then, the numbers have continued to grow each year as more people became aware of Elliott’s story. We now cover the whole UK, from hospitals to hospices and anywhere really that makes a difference to others. Thousands upon thousands of people have taken part or been recipients of our gifts since I started the challenge and to date we have received over 34,000. It is absolutely incredible and very humbling to think about the effect that this has on the people who take part and receive them. I get lots of emails from other bereaved parents who take part saying that it helps them to do something so positive at what is a very difficult time of year.. We also have people and groups who run their own collections up and down the country, from schools, to companies and youth organisations. Businesses and retailers also get involved with the challenge which last year culminated in a Carol Concert at the end of the collection before we went on our way to deliver the gifts all across the country. We ask for no money at all (although we do have a gofundme page now for people who cannot donate in person). All we ask is for Chocolate Oranges and for people to do something nice for others that they wouldn’t normally do on MAD Friday. It is incredible to believe what others have done to help to spread the message of hope each year including, lighting up the Blackpool tower orange and a lighthouse in the North East.

What started off as a small but special thank you has turned into a movement of people who want to do something constructive for others and share some kindness. This has resulted in some unbelievable media coverage on both regional TV news (North West Tonight) as well as local radio channels.

We would be very grateful for absolutely any support you could provide to us as we start off this year’s drive.

Chris Lamb 

Facebook: @chocoranges - Twitter: @chocoranges - Instagram: chocolate_orange_man

2018 Collection dates

19 September to 13 December 2018 – Elliott’s birthday. We always start our campaign on this day although people start to get in touch with support ideas from as far back as July.

The aim is to collect as many Chocolate Oranges as possible and decide on appropriate recipients in those areas. 

Confirmed locations so far

How you can help

There are many numbers of ways individuals can help our campaign. The list isn’t exhaustive so please let us know if you have ideas of any other activities we can add to the list

• Hold a collection in a club, pub, school, businesses, rotary clubs, literally anywhere you like.
• Nominate somewhere that you feel deserves recognition
• Some schools and youth groups encourage children to carry out kind acts for their families and friends, tell others what they have done and record it in a book and then be rewarded with a chocolate orange which they add to their collections. This is a fantastic way to teach children about doing good for others and very rewarding for them to share their experience with others.
• Donate a chocolate orange or two to a collection
• Share the story on social media to family, friends and groups. Encourage others to get involved too.

Facebook: @chocoranges - Twitter: @chocoranges - Instagram: chocolate_orange_man

• Attend the Carol Concert at St Helens Town Hall on Friday 14 December 9.30-12.00 or if you can’t and are able to, organise your own event to celebrate the kindness of others. Please let us know if you are doing this as we can help to spread the word about it.
• Printing of posters and helping others to share the story.
• Do something kind for others and let us know what you have done in particular on or around the 14 December.

Please do get in touch if you would like to offer any support at all.

DOWNLOAD POSTER