Shirt signed by Rochdale AFC up for grabs in charity auction

A shirt signed by the Dale squad is being auctioned to help raise funds for Broughton House Veteran Care Village, the north west home for ex-servicemen and women.

Bids for the shirt can be submitted via auction@broughtonhouse.com.

The deadline is 12.30pm on Thursday, December 17, and there is no limit to the number of bids a person can make.

Details of the bids will be shared regularly across social media platforms and the leading bidder will be notified by email.

In total, shirts from 11 north west clubs are up for grabs, including commemorative poppy shirts.

The full list features:

• A Manchester United poppy shirt signed by Marcus Rashford;
• A Manchester City shirt signed by Rúben Dias;
• Shirts signed by the Everton, Preston North End, Bolton Wanderers, Salford City, Rochdale AFC, Stockport County and Altrincham FC squads;
• A Blackburn Rovers shirt signed by former star Jason McAteer and a signed copy of his autobiography;
• An Oldham Athletic poppy shirt.

Broughton House in Salford is currently undergoing a £13m transformation to create the UK’s first Veteran Care Village.

The first stage of the redevelopment was completed in September, when veterans moved into a new three-storey building which has 32 residential and nursing care beds over two floors.

The next stage of the scheme has begun and will feature 32 residential care and residential dementia care beds and six independent living apartments alongside the Armed Forces Support Hub.

Broughton House is seeking to raise a further £1.4m to complete this stage of the project.

Laura Carr, the community and events fundraiser at Broughton House, said: “We are extremely grateful to Rochdale AFC for donating the shirt for auction. It will help raise much-needed funds as we transition into the UK’s first Veteran Care Village.

“To have the club’s support is fantastic. Our veterans really appreciate it, and we hope Dale fans far and wide will get involved and take part in our auction.

“All of the funds raised will be crucial in enabling us to continue our work supporting the veteran community, in particular given the challenging circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The distribution of the shirt will be managed appropriately and handled in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines.

For further information on the auction, visit:

• www.broughtonhouse.com/the-great-auction