Footie-mad Plymouth dad cleaning up free boots for kids

Luke Riggs cleans up a pair of donated football boots

A football-mad dad has helped thousands of children play the sport by giving them reconditioned football boots.

Luke Riggs set up the Plymouth Football Boot Bank after noticing some children he coached were wearing boots that were too small or in bad condition.

He cleaned up an old pair of his son's boots and gave them to someone else.

Painter and decorator Luke, 39, estimates he has since cleaned up and given away nearly 3,000 pairs of boots to children over a period of two years.

"We are at 200 [pairs of boots] at least a month now," Luke, from Plymouth, explained.

"We've never charged for boots or kit.

"A lot of people have suggested we do that but that's not why we started out so we are keeping everything cost free at the moment."

Football coach Luke set up the boot bank after donating a pair of his son's boots

The Plymouth Football Boot Bank now has nearly 40 collection bins around the city.

Once clean again, the boots can be sent as close to home as Cornwall or as far afield as Gambia.

Football coach Jay Lerway, who holds a training session for under 10s, said: "The cost of boots is unbelievable.

"For families who are struggling financially it's a lot to pay out so, yeah, it is absolutely fantastic. It gets kids playing football.

"Some parents might not want to do that because they feel embarrassed and that's fair enough but there's nothing to be embarrassed about; boots are expensive."