'Proud' nine-year-old ends charity efforts after raising £20,000 with NUFC influencer football game

Wilf, who has raised £20,000 for charity, got a photo with his hero, Bruno Guimarães. The midfielder wore a hat made by Wilf. Credit: Family photo

A young boy who went viral online after raising thousands of pounds for good causes has decided to bring his fundraising efforts to an end by putting on a charity football match against Newcastle United YouTubers.

Nine-year-old Wilf has raised more than £20,000 for charities over the last two years including, the West End Foodbank, The Alan Shearer Foundation and Dementia Matters.

Money raised from the match, is going towards the NUFC Fans Foodbank, meaning the charity Wilf has ended his fundraising efforts with, is the same organisation he started with.

The six-a-side match, which featured YouTubers such as Adam Pearson, 'Geordie Josh' and 'Charlie Talks Football', kicked off at the Newcastle United Foundation on midday on Saturday 16 November, and was livestreamed online.

Wilf said: "I feel very happy and excited and proud of myself because it's a massive achievement reaching twenty thousand pounds."

Dad, Alan Hodgson, told ITV Tyne Tees: "I think I'd have you here all day to say all the words that's necessary. I'm just a proud dad.

"It started a couple of years ago when he just wanted to help with a food bank and it's grown so big and twenty thousand pounds is an incredible achievement for somebody so young."

Wilfy's hero, Bruno Guimarães, has captained Newcastle United this season.

Wilf gained widespread attention online after meeting his hero, Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimarães, through his charity work.

In February last year, Guimarães was pictured wearing the 'Bruno's Magic Hat' Wilf had created in honour of a chant often sung about the player at St James' Park.

Following the meeting, Wilf told ITV Tyne Tees: "He [Guimarães] said 'I love the hat'. He hugged me and he kissed the hat, and then he signed a few things for me."

Wilf's other charity efforts have included a number of 24-hour charity walks, completed partly by Wilf alongside his dad, and donating his pocket money for each photo he got with a celebrity.

He has been pictured wearing 'Bruno's Magic Hat' alongside the likes of Magpies legend Kevin Keegan, centre back Dan Burn and former England manager Gareth Southgate.

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