Football Beyond Borders Fundraiser
2100. Miranda Porritt
Miranda Porritt, from Kent, has raised over £50,000 for ‘Football Beyond Borders’ since her 19-year-old football-loving son Freddie was killed in a road accident in Bolivia in June 2019.
Freddie was on his gap year and visiting the Salt Flats in Bolivia when the jeep he was in overturned after hitting a pothole, and he and his friend were killed. Freddie was passionate about football and Miranda wanted to support the work of a football charity in his memory. Miranda heard about ‘Football Beyond Borders’, a charity that works with young people from areas of socio-economic disadvantage who are passionate about football. The charity provides intensive support, built around relationships and young people’s passions to help them engage with and finish school with the skills and grades to make a successful transition into adulthood.
Miranda has since fundraised across various campaigns and events and has set up an annual fundraising challenge in memory of Freddie. This takes place in June and participants can choose to run, walk or cycle as many miles as they want to, and donate around £1 per mile to the fund. This June, Miranda travelled to the Salt Flats of Bolivia, where Freddie was killed, to complete a 9,699 walk in his memory.
Gillian Keegan MP, Secretary of State for Education, presented the award to Miranda at a Downing Street event to mark the England Lionesses play Denmark in the Women’s World Cup, in recognition for her fundraising for ‘Football Beyond Borders’. (Miranda is pictured with the Secretary of State for Education. Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street)
In a personal letter to Miranda, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
“I know Freddie was a passionate football fan, so it is a wonderful tribute to him that your fundraising is changing the lives of hundreds of young people through the beautiful game.
“It must have been so incredibly emotional making that visit last month to the Salt Flats of Bolivia. But your challenge, walking the distance of 9,699km, has inspired so many people to get behind you and raised a fantastic sum of money in Freddie’s memory.”
See more about ‘Football Beyond Borders’