Money raised for five Club charities
- Jarvis visits 13 countries in 7 days for charity- Over £5,000 raised for five Club charities including the Huddersfield Town Foundation
- Auction to be held to sell off items purchased
Sean Jarvis’ extraordinary journey came to an end last weekend as Huddersfield Town’s Commercial Director and friend Richard Chambers arrived at the Cardiff City Stadium for Huddersfield Town’s fixture against the Bluebirds.
Starting on the 11 November, the pair visited 13 different countries in eight days before arriving in Wales for the Terriers’ match. Jarvis undertook this epic journey in order to raise money for the Town Foundation, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, the Hollybank Trust, Goals 4 Hearts and Prostate Cancer UK - all Club charities.
Before setting off on the drive the pair set an original target of raising £5,000 meaning each charity would get £1,000 each. So far, the pair have surpassed their original target and raised a total of £5,430; Sean has since thanked everyone for their support and generosity.
“Surpassing our initial fundraising target was superb and in all honesty I was a bit taken aback by it. The support we have received from the fans and everyone surrounding the Club has been superb.
“We know there’s been a stream of fans contributing and there’s more still coming in which is great.
“When we set the original target we thought it would be tough for us to hit; £5,000 is a lot of money so to surpass it is remarkable.”
During the just under 4,000 mile drive, the duo saw great sights such as the Alps and the Black Forest on a trip full of highlights. Jarvis sites driving over the Pyrenees and visiting the Somme battlefield as two moments he will never forget.
“There were so many things that we did it is really hard for me to choose one particular moment that really stands out.
“Hearing the Last Post at the Battle of Somme war graves was incredibly emotive and going over the Pyrenees in Andorra gave me an adrenaline rush.”
Alongside witnessing such sites, the pair visited 14 different football grounds from Dortmund to the Andorra national stadium, together with looking at these grounds; they also looked at different ways in which clubs do business and how their ways of doing things can be incorporated into Huddersfield Town.
“The work the larger clubs like PSV did with their retail department was really interesting and the smaller clubs also did smaller things really well,” explained Town’s Commercial Director.
“This part of the experience was a massive learning curve for me and we are going to have a look to see if we can introduce any of these new into the Club in the future.”
As well as raising money on the drive, the pair collected different items on their route ranging from Austrian schnapps to an Andorran snow globe to raise more money for the selected charities through an auction.
“All the items will be put together and sold to the highest bidder, raising more money for the charities,” said Sean.
“I’m working with the retail department at the minute to put them all together but you can find out more on my Facebook page; I will also show the items to our commercial guests before and after the match against Wigan Athletic.”
Upon arriving in the UK the twosome had time to recuperate to reflect on such a journey. Sean insisted it was a great experience but one he may not do again.
“We travelled just short of 4,000 miles during the seven days so it took a couple of days for us to recover,” laughed Sean.
“We went back Saturday night after the game to see our friends and family before we rested on Sunday. I’m not sure if I could do it again but it was a brilliant experience.”
If you would like to donate money to the drive please follow this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=SeanJarvis
To have a look back at Sean’s route click HERE or to see more details of the journey click HERE.
Adult tickets for Town's match vs Wigan Athletic are just £10; BUY NOW!
Tweets by @htafcdotcom
