NCFC Community Hero: Norwich City v Everton
This month’s Norwich City Community Hero, is 15-year-old Sol Rivett from Cromer, who turned his cancelled volunteer trip to Africa into a way to give back to his local community.
Every month during the 2021-22 Premier League season, the club and Fosters choose a ‘Community Hero’ for a selected matchday, and we are delighted to be able to highlight Sol at the Everton game.
Sol had originally planned to visit Zanzibar in October 2020, where himself and 30 others at the Cromer Academy would be helping to teach in local schools and assist with building in the local community.
His fundraising journey for the trip started in November 2018, where he worked closely with his local Co-Op and Tesco, holding raffles, tombolas and a Christmas Fair instore, alongside car washes, a stall at Cromer Carnival and donations from local residents. He raised this money in any spare time that he had.
Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sol and his friends were unable to make the trip across seas. Sol was hugely disappointed that he couldn’t go, especially because of the hard work he had put in to raise the funds.
However, the Cromer teenager was determined to still make a difference in such a testing year, and didn’t want to allow the setback to stop him from helping those in need.
“I didn’t really think it was right to keep the money because it wasn’t really mine, so I thought I’d give back to the people who helped me raise it in the first place.”
First on his list to help out was his local Co-Op, where he donated a large portion of food to the supermarket’s food bank. Sol and his mum Jackie personally went round together with someone from the supermarket to pick the food themselves, filling six trollies in total.
The pair made a similar donation to the Sheringham Tesco’s food bank, as well as a portion of his money fundraised going to Coxford Butchers in Aylsham, Cancer Research, Faith Animal Centre and Miramar Vets.
“There were a few challenges along the way, but I loved every second of it – it was a lot of fun.”
Sol’s mum, Jackie Rivett, added, “I don’t think kids are given the opportunity to help out very often, so we’re all very proud of him.
“The response in the area was really positive and I think he’s a recognised face now!”
Sol will be at Carrow Road to watch the Everton match with his family – we hope they enjoy the game!
For more information on the Norwich City Community Hero and how to nominate a deserving person please visit the NCFC website.
This article was produced on the 13th January 2022 by our Communications team for information purposes only and should not be construed or relied upon as specific legal advice.