Two LFC legends joined forces with a big-hearted Liverpool cabbie today in a bid to support hundreds of disadvantaged children across Merseyside.
John Aldridge and Alan Kennedy teed off at Lee Park Golf Club, in Childwall, this morning as they took part in the Liverpool Taxi Drivers Children in Care Outing Fund's (LTDCICOF) 31st annual charity golf tournament. The fund was set up in 1985 by cabbie Bernie Buxton, from Stockbridge Village, who initially set out to put a smile on the faces of children in care in Liverpool and the surrounding areas.
The organisation has been coordinating trips for some of the region's most vulnerable young people for the past 38 years and is estimated to have helped more than 10,000 children since its foundation. Bernie told the ECHO : "It all started in 1985, when there was another organisation that used to take blind children on a day out, and I started thinking about underprivileged children too.
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"It snowballed into children in care and disadvantaged families. We have a trip to Southport every year where the kids get all the sweets, crisps, lemonade and ice cream they want. They get all the fun of the fair and get £10 pocket money at the end of the day.
"They get a nice meal while they’re there, so they’re well looked after. At the fair, they get a wristband that allows them to jump on anything that they want to without queuing. These days last in their memories for years."
In addition to the annual trip to Southport, LTDCICOF has also arranged for dozens of children to make the trip to Disneyland and hosts a number of actvities, including a day out at the theatre, for young people throughout the year. All of the activities are funded by event's like today's, where competitors each paid £25 to take part in the tournament.
Bernie said: “We’ve got 150 playing today from all walks of life. There’s quite a few taxi drivers obviously. It’s been going for 31 years and we’ve had some good players come through over the years. All the money raised goes to funding the trip to Southport and taking around 200 kids to the pantomime at the Epstein Theatre. Every little thing that we do helps."
And Bernie, who was awarded an MBE in recognition of his extensive charity work in 2015, is incredibly grateful for the report he's received from legends like John and Alan over the years.
He said: "We’ve had a lot of the Liverpool and Everton legends take part in the past- the likes of David Fairclough, Graeme Sharp, Graham Stuart. They’ve all taken part and wished us well on the day.
"The other competitors are all made up getting to play with them. They’re over the moon to be playing with their idols.
"Alan and John have taken part for over ten years. They’ve taken a really active role and they look forward to it as much as we do and there’s always a lot of banter with the other competitors. It means a lot that they support us and get involved.”
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