A children's football team has become the first good cause to benefit from the community piggy bank that has popped up outside The Forum as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
Youngsters from Hellesdon Lions FC Under 7s are delighted to be getting a new football kit after the team collectively decided to open the piggy bank on Monday.
The huge perspex pig art installation - which is simply called Pig - is the idea of artist Seth Honnor who wanted to invite the public to donate money to a community fund and then encourage people to collectively decide who should benefit from the savings that accumulate.
A sign with the pig tells festival-goers: 'This is a community fund. You can contribute to it if you like, and when you've agreed how to spend it you can open me and spend it. #ThePig.'
When Suzi Ray, whose son George Westgarth is a member of Hellesdon Lions FC Under 7s, first saw the pig and its sign she mentioned it to the football club's fundraiser Claire Fox who investigated further whether it was okay for the club to open the money box, and the whole team then went to The Forum to collect the funds on Monday night.
'We collected £229.86 as well as some Japanese money and some Euros. The money will help pay for a much-needed training kit and to help to pay for coaching,' said Mrs Fox, whose son Benji Fox is part of the team.
'We did leave some money for other good causes and charities too. We want to say a massive thank you to the people of Norwich because without them donating the money we would not be able to have the new training kits and pay for the training.
'We are really, really happy. We had been working really hard to replace the training kit and we had also raised £96 recently at a car boot sale.'
Mrs Fox has been running the team with Jackie Parker since January while the club searched for a new manager. The team has now appointed Kai Boyle as the new team manager and trainer, meanwhile David Coyle is the current coach.
The club, which trains every Friday from 4pm until 5pm at 3G Longdale, in Thorpe Marriott, is currently looking for an assistant coach and referee. For more information, email Reeve_11@hotmail.com
• Pig will be outside The Forum, in Norwich, until May 27.
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