PASOTI Embraces Project 35
In the spirit of Project 35, members of Argyle supporter message board PASOTI have clubbed together to purchase 80 replica home shirts for local children.
Dozens of contributors to the popular online forum responded to a fundraising campaign organised by the leaders of the chat site to donate shirts to youngsters who are feeling the cost-of-living pinch.
Ian Newell, co-owner of PASOTI and one of the driving forces behind the fundraising effort, explains how the idea took off.
He said: “We were having a chat on WhatsApp, between myself, Ian de Lar and Adam Dyer [who run the website alongside Newell], and we agreed that perhaps we should help families feeling the cost-of-living pinch.
“We usually have an initiative on people paying money into PASOTI so we can help certain sections of the Argyle supporting public, and funding the purchase of children’s shirts is an extension of that, really.”
The relationship between PASOTI and Argyle has grown stronger in recent years, with the online forum showing support for the club in a number of ways – including sponsorship of Academy sides, the 50/50 match-day draw, and, new for this season, the home and away shirts of summer recruit Matt Butcher.
While a summer fundraising drive was always on the agenda at PASOTI, Ian admits that the aims of Project 35 may have been a catalyst for donations among the website’s members.
He said: “Everybody said what a wonderful thing to do [Project 35], and embraced it right away, and I did notice an uptick in contributions.
“Everybody I spoke to at Parkway on Saturday said that they would be buying a shirt, when they don’t usually, because of Project 35. I would’ve thought the outcome would be more shirt sales for the club – the supporters are proud to be involved in it.
“We’ve had one payment of £500 from a business, and around 60-70 members who have contributed to the shirts. There’s a hardcore of around 100 or so that are usually involved in initiatives like this – and they always try to engage with our good causes.”
Candidates to receive a shirt can fill out a request form on the PASOTI website, with moderators now in the process of approving requests based on certain criteria. When the list is populated, it will be passed to staff in the Argyle Superstore, who will reserve the shirts for collection.
Ian said: “We’ve managed to purchase 80 shirts through member donations. What we’ve said is that, if you can afford to buy one, don’t ask us to give you one. In keeping with what Project 35 is all about, we’re offering these shirts to those who might otherwise not get one.”
To find out more about Project 35, check out our dedicated landing page.
For more information on PASOTI, visit their website.
