Friend Of The Foundation – The Star Wallington

The Sutton United Foundation is delighted to announce The Star Wallington as our Platinum Friend of the Foundation, with the partnership officially commencing in September 2026.

The Star, based in Manor Road, Wallington, will join the Foundation at the highest level of its new Friend of the Foundation programme, becoming a Platinum Friend with an annual £1,000 commitment to support the Foundation’s work within the local community.

The partnership brings together two organisations that share a strong belief in the importance of community, inclusion and creating opportunities for local people to come together.

A partnership rooted in the community

Sutton United Foundation uses the power and reach of Sutton United Football Club to deliver programmes, activities and opportunities for people of different ages and abilities across Sutton and the surrounding area.

Its growing programme includes activities supporting physical and mental wellbeing, disability and neurological conditions, older adults, families, children and young people, alongside football and wider community initiatives.

From Every Body Walking Football, Every Body Boxing and Indoor Sports, and Nordic Walking ( all details on our handy website calendar ) to inclusive sport, community events and activities designed to combat isolation and improve wellbeing, the Foundation aims to make sport and community participation accessible to as many people as possible.

The new Friend of the Foundation scheme gives local businesses and organisations an opportunity to become directly involved in supporting that work, with extremely affordable Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels of support.

The Star will become one of the Foundation’s Platinum-level supporters, helping create a long-term relationship rather than simply providing a one-off donation.

The Star – a pub at the heart of Wallington

The partnership is particularly fitting because community support and fundraising already play an important role within The Star and the wider Craft Union Pub Company.

Craft Union describes its pubs as being at the heart of their local communities, providing spaces where people can meet, socialise, fundraise and support causes that matter locally. The company now operates more than 650 community pubs across the country.

That commitment has translated into significant charitable support.

In February 2026, Craft Union announced that its pubs, operators and support teams had raised an extraordinary £1,358,422 for local charitable causes during the previous year, marking the second consecutive year in which the company had raised more than £1 million for charity. Fundraising included community events, sponsored challenges, collections, donations and volunteering.

The Star Wallington itself shares that community ethos, with Craft Union highlighting fundraising nights, charity challenges and the role its operators and customers play in supporting local causes.

Becoming a Platinum Friend of Sutton United Foundation therefore represents a natural next step in The Star’s commitment to supporting the community around it.

Friend Of The Foundation

More than a badge on the wall

As part of the partnership, Sutton United Foundation and The Star will work together to raise awareness of the Foundation’s programmes and create further opportunities for community engagement and fundraising.

A Sutton United Foundation community information board will be displayed inside the Star, giving customers the opportunity to learn more about the Foundation, the activities available locally and ways they can become involved.

The venue and Foundation will also explore opportunities for joint events, fundraising activities, community initiatives and promotion throughout the year.

The Star will also proudly display its specially created Platinum Friend of the Foundation crest, recognising its commitment at the highest level of the scheme.

The new relationship has been developed under the theme:

“The Star and Sutton United Foundation – United in the Community.”

The Star is also holding an opening celebration on 25 August, following refurbishment of the Wallington venue, with Sutton United Foundation invited to be part of the occasion and the possibility of representatives from Sutton United FC’s women’s and men’s teams joining the celebrations.

The Platinum partnership will then formally begin from September 2026.

Sutton United Foundation

A spokesperson for Sutton United Foundation said:

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome The Star Wallington as a Platinum Friend of Sutton United Foundation.

The Friend of the Foundation programme is about much more than sponsorship. We want to build genuine relationships with businesses and organisations that care about the communities they serve, and The Star is a perfect example of that.

Community pubs have always been places where people come together and so much of what we do at the Foundation is about exactly the same thing, reducing isolation, improving wellbeing, creating friendships and giving people opportunities to take part.

We are really looking forward to working with Andy and the team at The Star and seeing what we can achieve together.”

The Star Wallington

Andy Armstrong, Operator of The Star Wallington has said:

“The Star has always been about being part of the local community, so becoming a Platinum Friend of Sutton United Foundation feels like a really natural partnership for us.

We have seen the difference the Foundation is making for people locally and we are proud to be able to support that work. We don’t want this simply to be about making a donation, we want The Star, our team and our customers to become involved and help build something that makes a genuine difference in Wallington and across Sutton.

We are looking forward to welcoming the Foundation into The Star and to a great year ahead together.”

UNITED IN THE COMMUNITY