Celebrities drop in on school and meet students ahead of charity football match

Autographs were on the agenda when students met three famous faces who will be going head-to-head for a charity football match this weekend.Former EastEnders star Ricky Groves, footballer Kevin Cooper and rapper and Britain’s Got Talent 2022 finalist Flintz dropped by to see youngsters at King Edward VII (KES) Academy in Lynn on Wednesday.It comes ahead of a celebrity football match being held at The Walks Stadium on Sunday in aid of Norfolk-based children’s charity Amber’s Army, which supports families who have a child with a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Ricky played Garry Hobbs on the soap from 2000 to 2009, while Kevin is Wimbledon FC’s record goalscorer and Flintz is one half of the duo Flintz and T4ylor who were finalists on series 15 of the talent show after judge Alesha Dixon gave them a ‘golden buzzer’.The trio will be joined by the likes of current and former EastEnders stars Danny Dyer, Jake Wood, Dean Gaffney and Matt Lapinskas, as well as Calum Best, Dan Osborne and Josh Brocklebank for the occasion, organised by Sellebrity Soccer. Ricky, Kevin and Flintz visited Year 7 and 8 students during their lunch break on Wednesday, handing out flyers, signing autographs and discussing the reasons behind the charity match.

Principal Darren Hollingsworth said: “At KES, we are beyond proud to support our community and causes such as Amber’s Army.“Our community matters and with this, a sense of belonging is instilled within our school.“Having some of the celebrities on-site at KES has raised awareness of this weekend’s match and more importantly, the reason as to why it is being played.”He added: “Our staff and pupils are proud to be part of such a special community and the celebrities certainly made us smile.” The match, which will kick off at 3pm, will raise funds for Amber’s Army, a charity set up last year by the parents of eight-year-old Amber Sheehy who died after a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Jon and Amanda Sheehy’s charity now provides support to families of those with a similar diagnosis, aiming to “create rainbows in the darkest of days”.After visiting KES, Ricky said: “What a wonderful school and history of the building! The students were polite and embraced the three of us. “We look forward to seeing as many of them as possible on 21st April at The Walks.”Tickets for the game can be bought by visiting Sellebrity Soccer’s Eventbrite website.Got a story for the Lynn News? Email newsdesk@lynnnews.co.uk