Sheffield Wednesday thanked for Bradley Lowery gesture - follows £29k fan fundraising effort

The Bradley Lowery Foundation was set up in 2017 in loving memory of Bradley Lowery, a six-year-old Sunderland supporter who stole the hearts of football fans nationwide, becoming famous for his brave fundraising efforts and emotional friendship with then-Black Cats striker Jermain Defoe.

Bradley, from Blackhall Colliery, County Durham, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma - a rare type of cancer - when he was 18 months old. His tragic death was felt across the country, with minutes applause held across the country as football fans marked the memory of one of their own.

The fundraising efforts continue and Wednesday have been thanked for their donation of a shirt signed by the 2023/24 squad that sealed a historic survival - ironically with a last day win at The Stadium of Light. The foundation aims to support families who are fundraising for treatment or equipment which is not readily available or covered by the NHS. It also supports research into neuroblastoma and childhood cancers and is developing plans to support a £600,000 holiday home in Scarborough and run a support line for the families of children with cancer in the North East.

The donation of the shirt - which will be auctioned off as part of a Cancer Has No Colours fundraising effort that starts on July 1 - comes after former Owls season ticket holder Dale Houghton was ordered to undertake 200 hours' unpaid work, as well as being given a 12-week suspended prison sentence for mocking Sunderland fans with an image of Bradley during a match between the two sides in September.

Houghton - who showed contrition while admitting a public order offence and was also slapped with a five-year ban from football stadiums - was roundly condemned by Owls supporters, with a Wednesday spokesperson describing his actions as ‘deplorable’.

It inspired a vast charity effort by Owls fans, who raised over £29,000 via an online fundraising page and later collected further funds on behalf of the charity when the two sides met last month. Wednesday’s shirt donation is the latest show of unity between the two clubs on the issue.

Wednesday fans hoping to keep an eye out for the auction lot - in doing so supporting the Bradley Lowery Foundation - are encouraged to follow @BradleysFight on X (formerly Twitter) and across their other social media channels.