James Greenop Foundation Flourishing

James Greenop Foundation Flourishing

This month marks the second anniversary of the tragic passing of young Evertonian James Greenop, who died aged 10 following a road traffic accident in Speke.



Determined to see James’ caring nature and community work live on, his parents Russell and Helen decided to set up the James Greenop Foundation, which is dedicated to helping hundreds of disadvantaged children in the local area.

And, after raising nearly £11,000 for the Wirral Autistic Society following a request for no flowers at James' funeral, more charitable donations from all over the globe have enabled the impressive group to take on a wide range of activities, including esteemed football and dance sessions for people of all ability.

“The support has been overwhelming," James’ father Russell explained. "Everton, in particular, have been absolutely unbelievable - everyone at the Club, including people like the Chairman and the manager.

"But, as someone mentioned at the time, for us as a family it was literally like having the whole arms of the city around us. Everyone came together and supported us, and that is exactly what we needed. It gave us the incentive to go and set up the foundation and make a difference through James’ name.

"There is nothing I can do to bring him back, but I can make sure his name lives on and everything that we do as a family and as a foundation is making a difference to people who need it the most."


Russell and Millie Greenop

Russell, who is also a volunteer for Everton in the Community, has built strong bonds with the Club's official charity, with the two groups working together closely for the benefit of the local area.

In the recent past, the duo have combined to take the likes of Tim Howard, Tony Hibbert, Graeme Sharp and David Unsworth along to training sessions for local children.

"Everton in the Community have been the most amazing support," Russell added. "We sponsor the Everton wheelchair disability team, which is a real honour, and with the help EITC's coaches we run weekly football sessions in Prescot for around 50-60 kids.

"It gives us a chance to offer free community football to people who probably wouldn’t have access otherwise. And any money we raise with sponsored events and things like that goes back into the James Greenop Legacy KICKS project so we can keep doing it going forward."

For more information or to donate to the cause, visit www.thejamesgreenopfoundation.org