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Arsenal Quartet Fabregas, Walcott, Arshavin & Sagna Don Furry Suits For Charity
The Gunners foursome have swapped their football kits for furry costumes...
19-Nov-2009 8:55:39 PM
Arsenal stars have ditched their traditional kit to don furry suits in an effort to raise funds for their charity of the season, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
Midfield playmaker and captain Francesc Fabregas, pacy forward Theo Walcott, creative Russian Andrey Arshavin and industrious right-back Bacary Sagna all took part in the movie, which receives a voice-over from British screen icon Barbara Windsor. The light-hearted video can be viewed here.
The club's players will also be donating a day's wage when Arsenal play Chelsea in what will surely be a hotly contested London derby on Sunday November 29. The target sum that the Ashburton Grove outfit hope to raise for the season is £500,000.
Fabregas said: "I visited Great Ormond Street Hospital back in August so I know what this means to the charity and the patients. I encourage all supporters to follow our lead and give what they can."
Regarding the promo, the skipper added: "This advert is a bit of fun for the players and we hope supporters enjoy it, but there is a very real message in it about helping this hospital and we hope to raise lots of money for this worthwhile cause."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger echoed Fabregas' sentiments: "The team and I have met some patients from Great Ormond Street Hospital on several occasions throughout the partnership so far and we’re all struck by the strength and courage they show in fighting their illnesses.
"We understand the importance of helping to improve the facilities at the hospital and we’re encouraging all Arsenal fans to help in whatever way they can."
Dr Jane Collins, chief executive of GOSH, added: "We're so looking forward to our dedicated matchday [against Chelsea] and so grateful to the players, directors and fans for raising money to help us build our new Lung Function Unit.
"It will make such a difference to our patients and their families."
The advertising agency used to produce the video was Brothers and Sisters, based in Soho, and creative director Steve Shannon was delighted with the outcome.
"We were happy to give our time to this project and all our crew really enjoyed themselves over the two days of filming," said Shannon. "It’s a serious message and a great cause, but we also wanted to highlight the importance of giving, which for these Premier League footballers meant more than money.
"We also wanted to make the film really fun - the players were great sports dressing up in the costumes and the relationship between the kids and the players shines through on film."
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