CHERRIES DUO HEAD TO PREMIER LEAGUE KICKS SESSION

Run by the AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust, the sessions, which are free of charge, open to all and held across the area, welcome young players on a turn-up-and-play basis to get involved with the game.

The project is sponsored by AIM Altitude and Curtiss-Wright, the two companies continuing their partnership of the Christchurch project for the 2018/19 season. Christian Howe, Group Marketing Manager at Curtiss-Wright attending Monday’s session to see how things were going.

He said: “Curtiss-Wright have been looking for a sports charity to sponsor and support and give back into our local community. We have a large staff base in the Christchurch area, we employ roughly 500 people locally and it’s good to give something back into the local area.”

On a chilly November evening, Lerma and Rico joined the young players with their fun footballing activities as well as answering questions on playing in the World Cup and signing for the Cherries.

Head of community, Steve Cuss, gave further details on the evening and the Premier League Kicks Sessions.

“Premier League Kicks is one of the programmes we run throughout the year at 17 sites across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch,” he said. “This session in Mudeford runs every Monday evening and the local boys and girls from the estate come along to take part in different activities.

“It’s great that Jefferson and Diego have been here to watch the boys and girls play. We’re here every week regardless of the weather, it’s becoming a little bit colder now but the children still come out and want to enjoy their football.”

Colin Thornton, group design and engineering director at AIM altitude, said: “The beauty of Premier League Kicks is that is allows companies like AIM Altitude to put something back into the local community, benefiting the next generation.

“The team running the sessions do great work. The young players were really focussed on the drills and exercises. The added bonus of star players joining in the fun is that it guarantees smiles all round!”

AIM Altitude designs, engineers and manufactures aircraft cabin interiors for the world’s major airlines, delivering iconic bars, lounges and social spaces.

Curtiss-Wright, born from the first powered flight in 1903, is a market leader with diverse, technically advanced, product lines operating within a wide range of global markets from agriculture to automotive and aerospace to nuclear energy.