WHEN Barnsley FC legend Bobby Hassell knocked on the door of fellow committed Christian Matthew Murray and handed him £600 in cash, Matthew thought it was a miracle.
Six years later he is absolutely convinced it was. Because Matthew used that £600 to set up a charity which has since raised about £1m and built an orphanage in Kenya which looks after 200 deprived children.
Matthew, from Pogmoor, set up the charity One by One with his wife Becky and through it they built and now run the King’s Children’s Home in Bumala ‘B, Kenya. It looks after 200 children every day, and also reaches up to 10,000 children a week through a schools outreach programme.
They also run a school on the site, and have 35 staff across the two. The charity also works with young girls in Kenya to protect them from trafficking, and works with widows in Sri Lanka as well as other projects in Pakistan, Swaziland, and Cambodia.
But none of it might have been possible without the help of Bobby Hassell. Neither Matthew nor Bobby have spoken about it before, as Bobby didn’t want to be seen as ‘boastful’ and prefers to keep his charitable giving private.
But as the orphanage’s fifth anniversary approaches he has given Matthew his blessing to reveal how it all started. “Bobby had been having a bit of a bad spell at Barnsley,” said Matthew, 30. “It was in Autumn 2011 they played Reading away, Bobby broke back into the team, and they won 2-1. “At the time, my wife and I wanted to set up this charity, and we needed £600 to set it up.
“On the Monday night after the game on Saturday, Bobby just turned up on my doorstep and handed me his win bonus from the match - £600 in cash - the exact amount we were looking for to sort out the registration of the charity.”
Matthew said while the footballer knew what he and Becky had hoped to do, he’d never talked about money or asked Bobby for anything. “You hear many things about footballers but Bobby really is just a phenomenal man. Not just with that initial generosity, he’s been a big supporter throughout.
“He was just an answer to a prayer for me. I was just sitting there at home thinking how am I going to get together this £600, and then Bobby Hassell just literally turned up on my doorstep holding out £600 in cash. It was a miracle.”
Bobby told the Chronicle: “I wasn’t supposed to start that game, I was on the bench, but Miles Addison got injured and five minutes before kick-off, I got put in defensive midfield.
“I really wasn’t in favour, at the time. I remember thinking if we win this game, I’m going to give my win bonus away, and it was just a little prayer, there by the side of the pitch before the game.
“I asked God to put it in my heart where to give it. I knew Matthew and Becky wanted to start this charity but I had no idea what the amount was.
“Since then, it’s just gone from strength to strength. What they’ve achieved is just fantastic, giving so many children the love and support that we take for granted in this country.”
This year marks five years since the orphanage opened, and Matthew is planning a birthday celebration at the Holiday Inn at Dodworth on November 11 and Bobby will be there.
For more about the charity, click here.
