On Sunday, Burnley FC in the Community hosted their sold-out annual Charity Dinner alongside Burnley Football Club’s End of Season Awards, kindly sponsored by Rapidz and ADI.TV. We were thrilled to welcome Burnley FC’s First Team, Scott Parker, and the charity’s partners, trustees, and supporters.
We are incredibly proud to announce that we raised a grand total of £92,000 on the evening. This achievement is entirely due to the generosity of the over 400 people in the room, and for that, we are immensely grateful.
The evening, hosted by Dion Dublin and Natalie Sawyer, was packed with games and a silent auction aimed at raising funds for the charity’s various programmes. This was followed by an exciting live auction, featuring a special prize inspired by Burnley FC in the Community’s recent fundraising event, ‘The Big Burnley Breakout.’ Guests were invited to bid for the opportunity to confine a person of their choice in the Burnley Police Station Custody Suite for a day. The prize was claimed by Ashley Barnes, and we eagerly anticipate seeing who he selects to be “locked up” for the day.
Throughout the evening, we shared the inspiring stories of Jane and Pete from our dementia programme, Foodbank Manager Nathan Norris, and the impact of STEM at Ightenhill Primary School. We were honoured to be joined by our participants on the night, who received special prizes from their favourite players.
During the dinner, Burnley Football Club hosted their End of Season Player Awards. For the men’s team, Maxime Estève, Josh Brownhill, and Zian Flemming all picked up trophies. Estève was voted Player of the Season in a public vote by fans. Captain Josh Brownhill was recognised by his fellow teammates, picking up the Players’ Player of the Season award, and Zian Flemming was awarded Goal of the Season for his fantastic free kick against Norwich City in December.
For the women’s team, Claudia Walker, Tilly Wilkes, and Aimee Kelly were recognised in various categories. Walker was named Player of the Season, Wilkes was recognised by her teammates as their Players’ Player of the Season, and finally, Kelly’s strike against Stourbridge in January 2025 won the Goal of the Season award.
The evening’s entertainment was capped off with a special performance by the UK’s Official Number 1 tribute band ‘Oasish.’ Their performance was a hit with all the guests, and soon the dance floor was filled with everyone singing along. The night was brought to a close with a music from DJ Arkaid and a floor-filling performance from Girls That Mix.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our event partners, Road3, for their support in delivering this incredible event, to Burnley Football Club for their unwavering support, and to Scott Parker, the Burnley FC players, the charity’s partners, trustees, and supporters for their contributions on the night.
