Sheffield football clubs get behind Hakeem's cause after serious accident

United and Wednesday have donated signed shirts to an appeal to raise money for Hakeem Pickering-Smith, who was seriously injured in December.

The Forge Valley School student was hit by a gold Fiat Punto on Catch Bar Lane, near the junction with Leppings Lane, on December 10.

Hakeem, 15, is still fighting for his life at Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

The family is investigating taking Hakeem to Germany for treatment, and a resident who lives near the accident site is raising money to support the family.

RIchard Taylor, of Parkside Road, has started a Facebook page to bank some money for Hakeem.

The page, We're raising £5,000 to help the family of Hakeen Pickering-Smith, is in its early days, but the bids are flowing in for the shirts.

Both shirts had passed the £100 mark on the weekend.

Mr Taylor, a school friend of Hakeem's uncle Steve Pickering, saw the aftermath of Hakeem's accident.

He was walking home after getting his car towed from a minor accident on the same night.

He has another family link: Hakeem's mother did some cleaning for Mr Taylor's mum, Sue.

Mr Taylor, 40, thought raising some money to help the family would be a nice thing to do. The Facebook page started as a funding page, before Mr Taylor had the idea of approaching the football clubs.

"I was thinking 'how can I get more money?"

United and Wednesday came on board straight away, and Mr Taylor plans to approach more clubs to see if they can help.

Manchester United and Liverpool are on his radar.

He said he had "no real expectations" in terms of a final figure.

"Anything we can do to help," Mr Taylor said.

Head to the Facebook page to bid for a shirt or make a donation: http://bit.ly/2jMAIHa