A KIND-HEARTED footie fan from Dursley has donated 64 pairs of pre-loved football boots to a charity which will make sure they are given new life by players in Africa.

Theodore Metcalf celebrated his tenth birthday this week and marked the occasion by making the special donation.

The boots had been collected by Theo for his football boots swap shop, held at Jubilee Playing Fields in Cam in July.

Before the swap event, the Cam Everside Bulldogs player had appealed for donations of unwanted boots in good condition, which would be passed on to other players, at the stall in Cam.

Afterwards, Theo had several pairs left over, plus people continued to bring him more boots, which in the end amounted to 64 pairs.

“Someone even spotted him at the car boot and gave him a pair that were on their stall to sell,” said Theo’s mum, Fiona.

The plan had always been to give any left over to a charity, and Theo chose Boots2Africa as the recipient.

Boots2Africa collects, transports and distributes donated boots to Africa’s children and young adults through relief organisations.

The charity is on a mission to re-distribute one million pairs by 2030, and Theo’s donation helped the charity hit the 20k mark, which is a significant milestone for them.

Charity co-founder Iain Finch said: “Millions of children across Africa have no footwear for school, life and playing games.

“Disease, infections and snakebites kill thousands and injure and incapacitate many every year, while others struggle physically and needlessly because of illness caused from infections of the foot.

“Meanwhile, thousands of children in ‘first world’ countries discard their boots at the end of each season, and most pairs are adaptable to life in bush towns and urban settlements.

“Theodore’s pre-loved donation collected from friends and club mates will help boys and girls in Africa play safer and better.

“This is upcycling at its best.”

When Theo, who is an ambassador for Forest Green Rovers, heard his donation had tipped Boots2Africa’s collection over the 20k mark he said: “That makes me proud, that my little event has helped something big.”

See: boots2africa.co.uk