Arsenal donates £25,000 of Community Shield pot to Kentish Town charity

Tom Marshall

Published: 5:45 PM August 12, 2014 Updated: 1:39 PM October 14, 2020

Arsenal footballer Tomas Rosicky met with charity mentors and children at the Emirates Stadium last week - Credit: Arsenal FC via Getty Images

As Arsenal fans enjoyed their team’s 3-0 triumph over Manchester City in the FA Community Shield on Sunday, a Kentish Town charity had even more reason to celebrate the match.

Mentoring charity Friendship Works, based in Highgate Road, received a £25,000 donation from Arsenal’s share of the Community Shield pot.

The clubs contesting the annual tie between the reigning FA Cup and Premier League champions receive money to be given to community and charitable causes of their choosing.

Friendship Works helps five- to 16-year-olds in low-income households in Camden and Islington by providing supportive mentors for a period of at least two years.

Chief executive Iain Cassidy said: “This money means a massive amount for us.

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“It will help us to work our way through our waiting list of children, and we also hope the publicity will help raise awareness, so we can recruit more locals to volunteer as mentors.

“Many of the children are quite socially isolated and mentors can widen their horizons, build up confidence and help children to understand and be able to regulate their own emotions.”