The month of October seems to be one where all of Charlton comes together for the greater good and raise money for certain charity’s (unfortunately my birthday is not a charity). Jokes aside we have caught up with father-son duo Marc and Lewis Kentsley who are currently raising money for Cancer Research UK and Jack Jeffrey’s Superhero Trust.
One thing that certainly stands out is Lewis’ hair as he has joined Lyle Taylor in dyeing his hair pink for October, good on you fella!
I had a few questions for this legendary duo and here is what they had to say!
How has the response been since you started your campaign?
Lewis: Everyone has been asking a lot of questions like why do I have pink hair?
Marc: The response Lewis has had has been absolutely amazing and I was blown away by the generosity shown within the first day especially it just shows what great people support our club.
We also had a great response at Fulham with people stopping us walking to the ground and speaking with us in the stadium about what Lewis is trying to achieve so I think our t-shirts worked in that sense.
How have your friends at school reacted to the pink hair?
Lewis: I haven’t had any teasing and all my friends think it’s cool and really suits me.
Marc: Lewis tells me his friends have been great and I have seen first hand how supportive his football team have been towards him.
How much have you raised so far and what is your goal?
Lewis: I set my target at £250 which we actually beat on the first day, I have now raised it to £500 and have raised £363. I would like to raise more than £500 if I can.
Marc: So far he has raised £363 smashing past his original target of £250 so he asked to raise the target to £500, but I’m still confident we can raise it again.
His school are helping him organise a Red and Pink day based around your usual non-uniform days. We are also hoping to host a family Funday at the end of the month too.
Are there any personal reasons why are doing what you doing?
Lewis: Because I feel that people who suffer from any illness should be treated the same way as everyone else and be able to enjoy their lives.
Marc: As a family we seem to be built in a certain way that we love to not only help people and charities but also organise things, it’s a little odd but I love nothing more than seeing someone getting joy out of something we have done. We are not blessed with loads of money so try and do our bit through hard work.
Before we chose to try and help Jack’s Trust myself and Lewis has little knowledge but knew enough that we wanted to do something, since speaking to Grant over the past week or so and actually having more background knowledge on not just Jack but the Jefferys as a family it drives me even more as they come across as lovely people.
Have the club responded to your campaign?
Lewis: Yes Lyle Taylor knows that I am doing it and has liked some of my Instagram posts, I did it last year with two of my friends and Lyle asked us to be mascots against Oxford.
Marc: I have been in contact with Tracey Leaburn who has passed on information to Lyle Taylor which is great, last year for the Oxford game we helped do a bucket collection outside and in Cross Bars and have offered to do the same this year.
Do you have a message to the fans and the team?
Lewis: Thank you for all of your support so far and I would love it if you can help me raise more money and awareness, I want the team to know they are doing great and keep working hard.
Marc: Thank you again to everyone who has donated without you guys things like this aren’t possible but also thank you to those who just asked the question why? It shows that people really have an interest and means the world to these charities and what they are about.
To the team just keep doing what you are doing it’s been a long time since fans have felt like this about a Charlton side and it’s a testament to the togetherness of the people that matter.
If you would like to donate to Lewis’ pink october please click this link every little helps!