Wales fans clown about in Iceland – for charity

David Owens

As Wales travel to Reykjavik for their Nations League match against Iceland, the Red Wall supporters will be literally clowning about for charity. The generous fans have collected money to support a troupe of clowns who work at the children’s hospital in the capital city and will be joining them to say hello to the children.

Trúðavaktin are professional actors who have trained specifically in hospital clowning. Every week they visit the Barnaspítali Hringsins hospital in Reykjavik to entertain children in the day unit, intensive care and the children’s emergency room. The role of the clowns is to bring positive energy to the hospital environment and to create short memorable and joyful moments in often difficult situations.

Agnes Wild from Trúðavaktin said: “We have been raising money to print cards with pictures of the clowns for children to collect and also to make a fun board game that is easy to play in a hospital bed. The cards have pictures of clowns pulling strange faces and the child needs to copy the face to ask for the card. It’s a very funny game that can help lighten the mood in the hospital when the clowns aren’t there. Trúðavaktin is entirely run on fundings from charities, so we are very thankful for the support that Gôl Cymru! has given us and the children.”

Ashton Adams from Gôl Cymru! said: “It’s a true pleasure to have the opportunity to visit a group of people that work so hard to help those who need the help. We at Gôl Cymru! always like to make an impact on the world wherever we go and here is no different. Iceland is a wonderful place with wonderful values and it’s a real privilege to help out with this!”

Gôl Cymru! supports children’s charities wherever the national team plays. It was established in Azerbaijan in 2002 by fans who wanted to ‘make a difference’. To date, it has supported children’s organisations in over 50 countries.

You can find more information and photos of Gôl Cymru’s past activities and visits at www.gol.wales or www.gol.cymru (Welsh)

You can also donate at: www.Justgiving.com/gol

About Gôl Cymru!

Gôl Cymru! is the Wales Football Supporters Charity. We are wholly reliant on fund-raising by the fans and aim to help under-privileged children wherever Wales play.

Gôl! started in Baku, Azerbiajan where we visited a number of children’s homes with gifts of footballs, football kits, toys and cash donations. Since then visits to children’s homes have become a regular feature of Welsh fans’ away trips. We also help children’s causes in Wales.

In conjunction with the Football Association of Wales, Gôl! has donated tickets for home games to several charities, including Ty Hafan, Latch and Bobath.

The charity’s aims:

1. To help young people in countries connected to Welsh Football through the provision of financial support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to participate in society as independent, mature and responsible individuals.

2. To provide financial assistance, support and recreation to assist in the treatment and care of young people suffering from mental or physical illness of any description or in need of rehabilitation as a result of such illness in countries connected to Welsh football.

3. To provide relief of financial hardship among young people in countries connected to Welsh football by providing such people with goods or services which they could not otherwise afford through lack of means.

4. To provide relief of financial need and suffering among young people, victims of natural or other kind of disasters in the form of money or other means deemed suitable.