BOLTON Wanderers are gearing up for a charity day in aid of the ChildLine Schools Service at Saturday’s Championship match against Blackburn at the Reebok Stadium.

The game — which will see NSPCC fundraisers collecting donations throughout the stadium — forms part of the club’s year-long adoption of the children’s charity.

To highlight their support, the players will warm up in ChildLine T-shirts ahead of Saturday’s 3pm kick-off, and manager Dougie Freedman will be wearing the NSPCC’s green full-stop badge for his pre and post-match media obligations.

Phil Mason, club chaplain at Bolton Wanderers said: “We are only too happy to be supporting the ChildLine Schools Service this season and I am sure our supporters will give generously on Saturday.

“The service plays such an important role in educating children in our local community about how to stay safe and protect themselves from abuse. It’s a fantastic cause and something everyone should get behind so we can help protect a generation of children from the devastating effects of abuse.”

The partnership aims to raise funds to support the ChildLine Schools Service, which is provided by the NSPCC.

Tess O’Callaghan, NSPCC corporate fundraising manager, said: “I am delighted that Bolton Wanderers are dedicating next weekend’s match to raising money for our ChildLine Schools Service and I would like to thank everyone involved for their fundraising efforts.”

During the half-time break, NSPCC and ChildLine adverts will be screened throughout the stadium to raise awareness of the charity’s work.

There will also be a special announcement calling on fans to send a text and make a donation to help the NSPCC protect even more children from harm.

Ms O’Callaghan said: “The money raised will help us put trained volunteers into every primary school to help children understand abuse, give them the confidence to talk about it, the knowledge to prevent it, and the courage to find help if they ever need it. Taking the ChildLine message into primary schools across Bolton means we can be there for more children and help those who have nowhere else to turn.”

The ChildLine Schools Service uses specially trained volunteers to talk to primary school children, aged nine to 11, about abuse, giving them the skills to protect themselves and showing them where to go to for help. It is provided for free to all primary schools across the UK.

Visit nspcc.org.uk/schoolsservice for more information.