NewsForever Reds raises more than £75,000 at sold-out 2023 Christmas Lunch

The festive event held at Anfield brought a host of legends together, including Forever Reds chairman John Aldridge, Ian Rush, Natasha Dowie, Becky Easton, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Phil Thompson and John Barnes to name a few.

To start, Aldridge gave a welcome address explaining what the event is in aid of, before a Q&A with Rush and Sir Kenny as they relived memories from their playing days together.

Guests then enjoyed a three-course festive feast before another Q&A featuring Thompson, Dowie and Barnes, who discussed last Sunday’s back-to-back fixtures against Manchester United for the current men’s and women’s teams.

The live auction featured money-can’t-buy prizes and experiences such as VIP tickets, signed football shirts, and tickets to the LFC Foundation legends match in March.

Lifelong Liverpool fan Alfie Boe closed the show with tracks from the Mersey songbook and the club’s famous anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone.

The annual Christmas celebration is to raise money for former players and to support those in need. Forever Reds also makes donations from these special events to causes close to its heart via LFC Foundation.

“What a fantastic event it has been yet again,” said Aldridge. “It was incredible to see so many fans of this great club come to support Forever Reds and the work we do for former players and local charities.

“Three of the charities we’ve helped this year attended: Alder Hey, Alzheimer’s Society and Zoe’s Place.

“As former players we look forward to this event, it’s great to get back together and help to raise money. We’re thankful to everyone who supported us, it was a great event as usual, and we hope everybody enjoyed it as much as we did.”

The creation of Forever Reds has been driven by the club’s desire to ensure former players always feel part of the LFC family – providing support, involving them in important work in the local community, and keeping them informed of new developments.

The next Forever Reds event will be the annual Forever Reds Golf Day, with further details to be announced soon.