856 Foundation

[Kevin Holland]

I'm assuming someone at the club will be mentioning the 856 foundation on camera today?

Yesterday was suicide prevention day. (according to twitter)  and i see no better place than a football ground to highlight this cause that is so personal to so many of us.

Lee was my friend as well.  From breakfast club at BNI, to a pint in the Nap many a year ago and a few away days when i first moved up here. Like you,  I found friendship on the terraces at The Walks.  Lee was one of the blokes in the group i made friends with when i first started going to watch King's Lynn. They turned out to be collectively called the 856, yes I had to ask.........

For many of you, it was for much longer and your friendships will be much stronger, but what i do know is that today could be an extremely fitting tribute to Lee and show the club and therefore the Town in an extremely good light.

The town has shown it's love for him in it's outpouring of grief when we lost him,  today, the football family can show the football world not just what Lee meant to us, but also that's it is ok to be not ok. And it is,  good to talk.

It is good to talk and talking with mates at football has saved many a soul over the generations.  It's where we bond, we come together and get behind our team. We can forget our worries and let it all out for an hour or two. 

I'm not sure what would look like at The Walks today,  it could come in the form of banners at pitchside and a few words from the chairman in one of the televised snippets,  it could at 8 minutes and 56 seconds,  applause rings out throughout the ground....... It may come as a chant, in UNISON,  all I know is that today is an opportunity to honour a friend and highlight a bloody good cause and the 856 foundation that has been launched in lee's memory.

[TonyM]

Great post Kev and, although I didn't know Lee other than a 'known face' at the Walks and a good friend of a friend, I would fully support the idea of doing something at todays game to highlight the issue.  Probably the easiest would be for the applause idea at 8:56 into the game and then to make sure the club's media team prime todays commentary team with the fact that it is going to happen so that they are ready with an explanation and hopefully something helpful to say on the topic.  I know there is the 8:56 banner so again, if they are primed, it may be come at a point in the game where they could also cut to an image of the banner.

[Kevin Holland]

It's good to talk, 

Maybe the programme sellers, gate stewards and others around the ground can mention it,  soon get the grapevine going.

Focus on that one simple thing,  the BT Sports ppl will pick up on it if the club do their bit,

Job's a good 'un.

[Gordon Chilvers]

For those that do not know the actual official launch of the 8.56 Foundation is at West Lynn Social Club on Friday this week the 17th from 6pm. As part of the official launch there is a huge raffle and auction also.
Along with Lees family everyone at KINGS LYNN SOCCER CLUB have in a matter of weeks set up created this charity in memory of Lee, hoping that if someone needs to talk there will be someone to talk to. Initially the Samaritans.