Copa Sandino football in Bristol raises £1,500 for Nicaragua

Despite Covid isolations and Met Office warnings of lightning and thunder- storms over 150 people turned out for the 33rd Copa Sandino football for Nicaragua tournament organised by the Bristol Link with Nicaragua (BLINC).

The afternoon was bathed in Bristol sunshine as people tried the pop- up Colombian food stall and watched the teams battling it out for the trophies and bottles of five-year old Nicaraguan rum.

Nicaraguan ambassador Guisell Morales presents the Copa Lucrecia Lindo to the Duffers Allstars

BLINC raised around £1,500 towards a girls’ football and life skills project and the building of a new preschool for under- fives in Bristol’s twin town of Puerto Morazan like the one pictured below.

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As well as presenting the Copa Sandino trophies, Ambassador Guisell Morales gave out three ‘Friend of Nicaragua and Solidarity Hero’ awards.

These were presented to Elspeth Reid for her fundraising work to build pre- schools for under- fives in Puerto Morazan; to Montessori expert Roz Payne for developing the teaching programme over many years in partnership with the Ministry of Education (pictured above) ; and to Nick Regan for his interpreting and translating work supporting Fairtrade links with Nicaragua in Bristol schools impacting on thousands of local children.

Further information available from Clive Weston cliveweston@yahoo.co.uk