On Saturday at the game against Skelmersdale, we will be welcoming Alfie Lund and his dad Mark, who have set up the Alfie Lund Fund, and also support the charity MECP2 Duplication UK.

Mark would like donations of old football shirts, scarves and flags for this very good cause, and said; “We here at The Alfie Lund Fund have set ourselves the challenge of creating possibly the longest football related chain in the world. During the 2014/15 and 2015/16 football season we are collecting as many old or new football shirts, scarves and flags as we can. We hope at the end of the season to be able to submit it to the Guinness Book of World Records.

“Why are we doing this? Football is one thing that unites many people. It generates excitement amongst fans all over the world and is a great way to raise awareness. Our beautiful little boy Alfie suffers from a very rare incurable genetic disorder called Mecp2 Duplication syndrome. He is unable to walk or talk and needs help with all aspects of daily living. He has profound and multiple learning difficulties and will almost certainly have a shortened life expectancy due to chronic chest infections and pneumonia which he is unable to fight in the same way as a healthy child.

“We set up Alfie's Fund to raise funds for specialist equipment he needs to make his life as comfortable as possible and raise awareness of his little known disorder. Alfie was only the 7th child in the UK to be diagnosed, that number now stands at approximately 28.

“Due to the success and huge amount of support Alfie's Fund has received we have now turned our attention to MECP2 Duplication UK, a newly founded charity which aims to support children and families affected by the disorder and which my wife is a trustee and the secretary of. We want to help raise the profile of the charity and hopefully some funds along the way for them.

“The interest in the football chain has created so far has been amazing. We have been sent items from all over the world and are now taking the chain to football grounds around the country. It seems to be quite a crowd puller and is getting more people through the gates. We do, where clubs permit, take collection buckets.

“At the end of the season we hope to sell/auction off all items if they make £1 or £20 all monies raised will go to MECP2 Duplication UK.”