A former Arsenal FC footballer and England international has completed the Keep up Challenge for a charity.
Kelly Smith, a prolific goal scorer for England with a record 46 goals in 117 caps, has taken on the challenge of doing as many keepy-uppys as possible to raise money for Housing for Women.
She managed to juggle the ball 111 times in a video that has been released on the Housing for Women Facebook page.
READ MORE: Former Arsenal striker Smith joins domestic violence campaignKelly has spoken about the importance of domestic abuse services during the Covid-19 pandemic and does so again during the video.
She said: “I am happy to be promoting the Keep up Challenge, aimed at raising money for women’s services.
“Housing for Women support women in London including women fleeing domestic violence, desperate for safety for themselves and their children, women who have been sex trafficked, women leaving prison and women who have been alone in old age in social isolation.
“It’s been a challenging time for Housing for Women during Covid-19 with more pressure on their services than ever. That’s why I’m taking part in this Keep up Challenge to help raise vital funds for the crucial work Housing for Women do.”
Housing for Women aims to raise £5,000 from the campaign which will be utilised to fund services to vulnerable woman and children.
Zaiba Qureshi, chief executive of Housing for Women, said: “As an England footballer and an advocate for women and women’s services, we couldn’t think of a better person to take on the challenge, and her platform will help shine a light on the vital services we provide for women at a time when they are needed more than ever.”
In June, Kelly joined other current and former football players in a £SafeHome campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse set up by FIFA, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Commission.
Anyone who would like to try to beat Kelly’s record and raise some money for the cause could take a video or photograph of themselves doing the challenge and share it on social media. After that, go to https://hfw.org.uk/support-us/donate/keep-up-our-services/ to make a donation as part of the challenge.
Use #KeepUpChallenge or #HfW so Housing for Women can share the post.
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