Gary Lineker sends message to Alan Birchenall ahead of 40th and final charity run

Gary Lineker is one of the many former Leicester City players to send a message to club ambassador Alan ‘the Birch’ Birchenall ahead of his 40th and final charity run.

The yearly tradition sees the former player do laps around the King Power Stadium pitch before the final home game of the season. It has raised millions of pounds for local charities over the years, making a massive difference in and around Leicestershire.

As has been the case before, it has been announced that the run ahead of Sunday’s game against Southampton will be the Birch’s final run. The Coronavirus pandemic has delayed the run, but with restrictions now lifted, the event will take place for the 40th time as the Saints visit the King Power Stadium.

Funds from the run are being raised for the Leicester Hospitals Charity Neonatal Incubator Appeal, which aims to update and upgrade incubators used to save lives of premature and ill babies.

It was confirmed in the week that chairman Khun Top has donated £1 million to the appeal ahead of the run, continuing his father’s legacy of giving back to the community with a number of generous donations.

Ahead of the Birch’s final run, the club have shared a number of messages recorded by former players and managers, including Nigel Pearson and Sven Goran Erikson, on social media. And Lineker has now taken to Twitter to share his support for the club ambassador.

“What a wonderful fella @alanbirchenall is,” he wrote. “Does so much good for the club, the community and the fans of @LCFC. Let’s help him make it the most successful of the 40 runs.”

Speaking to the club website, Birch said the tradition may be carried on by someone else in future years: “As it’s gone on, I’ve got slower and older,” he joked. “It