Arsenal stars link up with The Great African Journey

Four of Arsenal's first team attend the launch of Link Community Development's new initiative.

Arsenal's Kolo Touré helping children add value mileage to the Great African Journey on the trampoline

Four of Arsenal’s native African stars teamed up with Link Community Development - on Thursday 1st November to help launch The Great African Journey at Holloway School. Ivorians Emmanuel Eboué and Kolo Touré, Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor, and Cameroonian Alex Song all attended the launch of the new educational and fundraising project.

The event saw children from five different Islington schools complete the first 100km of The Great African Journey – the distance from the very North to the very South of Africa - by rowing, running and trampolining the width of Adebayor’s home country, Togo! Following the sporting activities, Holloway Drumming Group and pupils from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School provided entertainment for all those who had taken part and for the players, in the way of African drumming and African dancing.

Arsenal and Ivory Coast defender Kolo Touré said: “It was absolutely amazing to come down to Holloway School today and spend time with all these wonderful kids. Link Community Development is a great charity and one that I, and Arsenal Football Club, are really happy to be involved with. The Great African Journey encourages children to take part in sponsored sporting activities for charity but also teaches them about the African Nations.”

Touré and Eboué encouraging the boys in the gym

Over the school year, LCD is calling for kids across the UK to get involved in the Great African Journey, where they are aiming to travel a huge 7, 868km all the way down Africa, and all without leaving the UK. So whether you are a keen swimmer, cyclist or even a skateboarder – everyone can get involved, get sponsored and add valuable mileage!

Gemma Mullick of Link Community Development said: “We couldn’t have hoped for more support from Arsenal Football Club, the players and the schools involved today. The project aims for kids to swim the length of the Nile, climb the height of the Pyramids or skip the length of the Sahara Dessert, and all from their own school. With some generous fundraising, we’re hoping not only to raise £100,000 to help provide children in Africa with a better quality of education but for this to be the start of an exciting and unique project.”

Holloway School, near the Gunners’ Emirates Stadium home, hosted the launch event in their new state-of-the-art sports facilities, decorated with African memorabilia, flags and photos with African players present for support . If you would like pictures from the event please contact Alex Henderson on 020 7704 4015 or ahenderson@arsenal.co.uk.

To join The Great African Journey or for more information about LCD, please visit www.lcd.org.uk or telephone 0207 691 1818.

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For further information please contact Alex Henderson in the Arsenal Press Office on 0207 704 4015 or ahenderson@arsenal.co.uk. Alternatively, please contact Gemma from Link Community Development on 0207 691 1818 or gemma@lcd.org.uk.

Notes to editor

The five schools involved in the launch were Hungerford School, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, Hanover School, Holloway School and Copenhagen School.

Link Community Development is a group of partner organisations in sub-Saharan Africa and the UK and Ireland. They work to improve the quality of education for children in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, South Africa and Uganda by working in partnership with local communities and education departments to improve teaching and learning. LCD links schools in the UK and Ireland with schools in Africa to promote wider understanding of Africa and development issues.

The visit of Arsenal players was part of the Premier League’s Creating Chances project, a showcase of the positive work that football clubs do in the community, and for good causes and charities.