Bond It has completed an impressive international charity endeavour.
Following months of hard work and a campaign that received support from people across the UK, the business has recently helped donate thousands of unwanted rugby league shirts to young people across Papua New Guinea.
Bond It teamed up with rugby legend Stanley Gene – who has captained the Papa New Guinea national team and played for numerous teams in the UK including Hull KR, Huddersfield Giants, Bradford Bulls, Hull FC and Halifax RLFC – to arrange the donation.
The company worked with the Stanley Gene Foundation, which aims to help young Papua New Guineans create better futures for themselves, through educational and sporting opportunities.
The shirts were collected as part of a shirt amnesty set up by Bond It in 2013 following its decision to become a sponsor of the Huddersfield Giants. Under the initiative, supporters of the Giants were able to donate their old shirts and receive a £10 discount off the price of a new season shirt, courtesy of the business.
More than 2,000 shirts were collected and these have now been distributed, along with a number of computers, across 10 schools and a number of villages in the Simbu province.
“Bond It became a sponsor of the Huddersfield Giants in 2012 in order to boost the profile of our brand and as a show of support for the local community as a business based on the outskirts of Huddersfield,” explained David Moore, managing director at Bond It.
“Naturally, we wanted fans wearing the new season shirts featuring our logo and that of a number of Bond It products, but this begged the question as to what to do with the old shirts. As a business with a socially responsible approach, we wanted to see them being put to good use as opposed to simply discarded. After learning of Stanley’s charity through his connection to the Giants as former player, everything just fell into place.
“We’re delighted the shirt amnesty has been so well supported and that the shirts have now arrived with their intended beneficiaries.”
Mr Gene himself added: “On behalf of myself, everyone at the Stanley Gene Foundation and all those from the various schools and villages, I would like to thank Bond It for implementing the shirt amnesty and for contributing towards the shipping costs of getting these items to PNG.
“I’d also like to extend our gratitude to all those rugby league fans who got behind the campaign. The resultant donation has made a very real difference to thousands of people and brought a smile to thousands of faces.”
