Share the Joy raises over £16,000
Over the last couple of weeks, Saints Foundation, Southampton Football Club, and P&O Cruises have been giving back to our participants and supporters this festive period raising £16,032.48.
Saints Foundation’s Share the Joy campaign includes our annual Prize Draw, giving supporters the chance to help us provide life-changing opportunities that enable our city and its communities to thrive – while also being in with a chance of winning prizes.
As part of the wider campaign, Principal Partner of Saints Foundation and Southampton Football Club, P&O Cruises, helped us gift our participants who may otherwise have received very little over the festive period.
In 2025, we worked with 2,382 people living in one of the 20% most deprived areas in England, many of whom face multiple challenges beyond deprivation alone. P&O Cruises and Carnival UK staff donated 100 presents to Saints Foundation participants who need them most.
Southampton men’s first-team player Flynn Downes delivered our first set of presents to young people from our Premier League Inspires project, including Isabella, who he has connected with through the club’s festive video.
Flynn met Isabella’s mum to learn more about how Saints Foundation has positively impacted her school life and gifted the family tickets to our final game before Christmas against Coventry City.
Fellow men’s first-team players Gavin Bazunu and Joe Aribo met members of our men’s mental health group, Saints by your Side, and opened-up about how they manage their own mental health. As this time of year can be particularly tough, we also took the group on a tour of Staplewood Training Ground to give them a boost.
Saints by your Side participant Graham said: “Love meeting the players. I was very interested to hear that they get support for their mental health. You realise that no matter your status in life, you can have those problems and need some help.”
Adam Armstrong and women’s first-team players Emma Harries and Ellie Brazil also shared the joy with participants at our Falls Recovery sessions in the Medicine for Older People (MOP) Unit at University Hospital Southampton.
It wasn’t just our first-team players getting into the festive spirit – our Saints Foundation Ambassadors were also spreading the joy. Ryan Garner joined our Premier League Primary Stars programme to surprise one of our Senior Saints sessions with gifts of handmade Christmas ornaments.
Franny Benali also joined our Senior Saints for their annual Christmas lunch, supported by Bargate, where a raffle was also raising money to go towards the total for Share the Joy. Franny pulled double duty over the festive period as he teamed up with Kenzie Benali to take on our first ever Saints Santa Dash at St Mary's Stadium.
Along with other dashers braving the December elements in support of Saints Foundation and Mountbatten Hampshire, Kenzie and Franny completed the first couple of laps before becoming the ultimate cheer squad at the finish line.
While our Share the Joy Prize Draw has now closed, you can still support Saints Foundation’s work in the community and be in with a chance of winning through the Saints Superdraw. Enter the Draw.
Corporate Patrons, Patron Saints, and a Southampton Football Club Christmas Jumper Day all contributed to the total raised for Share the Joy 2025. We would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who as supported, with your funds allowing us to continue providing life changing opportunities to help our city and its communities thrive.
