Sutton raise £1,000 as balloons make it to France (From Keighley News)

Sutton raise £1,000 as balloons make it to France

9:30am Thursday 30th August 2012 in Sport By Mike Crowther

A balloon in a race to raise funds for a football ground has made it all the way from Sutton to central France!

Sutton Juniors, who are fund-raising to find a permanent home, released 1,000 balloons into the sky at last month’s Sutton Park Centenary event.

The race was on to see which balloon would be found the furthest away and the winner was found roughly 600 miles away in Chalus – just 100 miles from the Spanish border.

That beat another balloon which had also been discovered in France near Le Mans.

Early replies came from Nottingham, Kensington and Brighton but then came the responses from France before the deadline expired.

With yellow and black balloons (club colours) being sold at £3 for two, the club managed to raise £1,005 from players’ parents, family and friends.

Linda Fenton, from Sutton, bought the winning balloon and received a £250 prize, while there was also a prize for under-seven player Addison Willis, who sold her the balloon.

Monsieur and Madam Lavigne Jean-Claude, who found the balloon in Chalus and replied back, will also receive a gift from the club.

Sutton Juniors currently have 20 teams ranging from under-sixes to two open-age sides.

With so many teams, the club has high costs for training and playing.

Sides play at three different venues – Glusburn and South Craven schools and Sutton Park – but it is keen to find its own base.

The club has raised in the region of £10,000 so far this year.

Once Sutton have found suitable land it will be able to look at grants from various sporting organisations to make the location suitable for football and other community use.