Andy completes walk for PHS

Pompey fan Andy Collins has raised more than £1,000 for the Pompey History Society charity after walking the 220-mile Cape Wrath trail in the north of Scotland – but there’s still time to help him surpass his £1,000 target. 

Keen hiker Collins, who is the husband of charity trustee and Pompey Supporters Trust board member Jo Collins completed the trek in quicker time than he expected but he is delighted to have finished the challenge. 

“I certainly feel a sense of achievement on completing what was a challenging venture, but it was worth it for the final view of nothing but the ocean and ice until the North Pole!” 

Collins originally had a £500 fundraising target for the society - formed in 2017 by a group of fans committed to sharing the rich history of the most successful club in the south coast of England – but that was quickly met so he stretched his challenge. 

To date, £1,015 has been pledged by50 supporters, but the Just Giving page is still open here:  https://www.justgiving.com/page/andrew-collins-1682757713453  

Andy added: “I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me and donated to a cause which is close to my heart as an avid Pompey fan.” 

Society Chair Colin Farmery said: “Everyone at the society is grateful for Andy’s efforts. We have only recently converted to a charity this year, so we are still finding out feet and initiatives like Andy’s are crucial. 

“In the next few weeks and months, the society is going to be unveiling a number of initiatives to get fans involved in what we want to try to achieve, working with Portsmouth FC, in terms of celebrating the club’s heritage.” 

In the past six years the society has already raised more than £40,000 which has been invested in purchasing heritage items, including replica solid silver trophies from the club’s 1948 & 1949 first division title wins and also its 1962 and 1983 third division title wins. These replicas are now in the club trophy cabinet.  

In addition, the PHS seeks to purchase items to put them on public display. One project it is currently working on is acquiring and curating a number of items in the Peter Harris collection, with the ultimate aim of recreating the England international and twice league champion’s collection for posterity.   

In 2019, a successful Heritage Fund bid saw the society receive £81,500 to tell the Pompey Champions of England story. A permanent exhibition at Fratton Park, as well as a website and book now pay permanent tribute the that great team of the 1940s.  

In January 2023, the PHS converted to a charity with the twin aims of preserving the club’s archive and sharing that archive with the public.  

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