Chelsea Football Club are teaming up with the charity Stoll for this year’s Big Stamford Bridge sleep out on 26 March.
The European champions have raised over £40,000 in total holding the sleep out with the veterans housing association since 2019.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the club are able to welcome people back to the stadium for the physical event having to host the event virtually last year.
Alex Korobin, 72, is a retired veteran and resident volunteer with Stoll at their Fulham Broadway housing association and has been involved in the event before the pandemic.
He said: “We’ve recently had some new families with young children come here from war torn countries, the generosity of the fans at Chelsea have helped us significantly.
Having been detrimentally affected by the pandemic, the partnership with Chelsea’s Supporters Trust is so crucial to helping their veteran residents in need of their help.
Korobin has previously collected the cheque from the Chelsea Supporters Trust and has seen the great work that the donations can do.
Later, he spoke about the oldest resident he had met whilst at Stoll.
Known as Reg, the veteran was a D-Day Paratrooper having been at the Fulham Broadway centre of the charity until his death aged 95.
Stoll is the leading provider of supported housing for veterans and their families and recommitted to the Armed Forces Covenant in 2017.
Founded by Sir Oswald Stoll, after he donated his Fulham mansions to house veterans in 1916, Stoll now has sites across London with their latest opening in Aldershot three and a half years ago.
Working with veterans ranging from 20 – 90 years old, they strive to empower their beneficiaries to live independently whilst offering the support they need to survive.
You can join in the virtual Stamford Bridge sleep out on the Chelsea Supporters Trust Twitter or you can help Stoll with their beneficiaries by donating on their website www.stoll.org.uk/support-us/donate/ or contacting their team on 0207 385 2110.
