CASINO GIANT LONDON CLUBS INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES CHARITABLE INITIATIVE ‘A DEAL FOR AFRICA’ IN A NATIONWIDE BID TO GENERATE AWARENESS OF THE PLIGHT OF

On the July 6, casino operator London Clubs International will launch 'A Deal 4 Africa'. The campaign will run across all 10 clubs in a bid to collect four 'suits' of support materials for both children and the needy, in the informal settlements - better known as townships - in Gauteng Province in South Africa.

The materials collected will be shipped in a full forty foot container to Africa later this summer as winter approaches in South Africa. Donations will be transported to one of LCI’s international venues - The Emerald Casino - in Gauteng where the Emerald Charitable Foundation will then distribute the clothing in the townships and to local black charities. Each of LCI’s 10 clubs in the UK has been challenged to fill just 4 feet of a forty foot shipping container in 4 weeks with goods in four suits! Customers, members of the public, celebrities and staff are all asked to assist us in our bid. With a ‘deck of cards’ being an iconic symbol of casinos across the world it seemed appropriate to use Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades to differentiate between all the needs of the people wish to help in South Africa. In the Hearts container we are appealing for: clean second hand clothing for adults and children, especially warm clothing. It gets freezing cold at altitude and at night in Africa - last year it even snowed. Even 'smart' dressy clothes, suits and dresses may help a young person look good for a job interview and enhance their future prospects, and there is a huge need for clean second hand underwear. In the Diamonds container, writing materials, reading books for children and sets of books would be gratefully received/ In the Clubs container we are looking for sports kits and equipment, including soccer boots, trainers, socks and shirts. South African kids love to play sport and will make a soccer ball out of old plastic bags - we can do better than that! Finally in the Spades container we are seeking Art and Cultural materials such as paint, paper, crayons and drawing materials. Everything donated to each club will be sorted and transported to our Rendezvous Southend casino before they are shipped across to South Africa! Says Roy Ramm, Head of Compliance at London Clubs International: “London Clubs International is passionate in our role to support charitable issues both in our local communities and overseas. The Emerald Foundation was founded by one of our international casinos in South Africa and they have done and invaluable job fundraising for the townships since opening in 2008(???). “However here in the UK LCI has 10 casinos and a nationwide presence, and therefore would appeal to all of our customers, staff and of course kind members of the public who might be passing by one of our clubs to hand in their cast offs rather than binning them. “Your donations will be put into the hands of the people who need them the most. We will be distributing the supplies directly to the children and needy within the townships and your old football shirts, skirts or reading books will make a huge difference to their lives.” If you would like to support us, you can pass by any of our venues which are situated in London, Brighton, Southend, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham or Glasgow, and drop in anything you can spare. We are NOT collecting money, but material goods that will instantly make a difference to the lives of the recipients. By September 2009, a huge number of people in South African townships will be wearing your old clothes!