A team of young footballers from Africa have sent a personal thank you to Carlisle United after the Blues donated a full playing strip to them.
 
Resources are so limited for the team from Swartland in South Africa's Western Cape that some of the boys play in bare feet because they can't afford football boots.
 
With no team kit either, the youngsters also used to play in their ordinary t-shirts when they had matches against other sides.
 
That was until Carlisle United stepped in and agreed for one of their old youth team kits to be taken out to the Swartland team on a Rotary-led school trip.
 
Now the African boys look resplendent in their all white shirts, shorts and socks, complete with Carlisle United club crest and Eddie Stobart logo.
 
One of the players, Zatu, said: "We want to thank the kind people in Carlisle United who gave us these shirts. We didn't have proper shirts before. We just played in our t-shirts. It was difficult because we couldn't see who was on our side. Now we know straight away who is in our team. We play better when we are wearing the Carlisle kit. We hope Carlisle win their English league."
 
The strip was sent out with another set of kit which had been donated by Wolverhampton Wanderers to be passed on to another local team in South Africa during the visit by Malmesbury School in Wiltshire.
 
Maggie Sutherland, the school's network manager, said: "As you can see from the photo, the team from Swartland look great in their new kit and are very excited about looking like a real team. Some of the team don't have boots on because they aren't all able to afford them and so they play in bare feet, but this does not dampen their enthusiasm for football.
 
"It is such a huge thing for them to have this strip and to feel that someone from an English club has been so generous towards them and has given them the chance to be kitted out as a team.
 
"The young people were delighted with the shirts. They have used a map to locate Carlisle and know about your team and are very proud that the team which shares their strip is doing so well."
 
Carlisle's managing director John Nixon helped arrange the kit donation. He said: "We were glad to be able to help the team out there in South Africa. It is great to hear now that they are so pleased with the kit and that it is being put to such good use. We also seem to have won over some new Carlisle United fans, which is a good thing."
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