A cheeky Mother's Day card has proven popular beyond expectations with Sunderland supporters.
Almost 40,000 Sunderland fans will be missing Mother's Day tea on March 31 - spending their day at Wembley instead, with the Black Cats meeting Portsmouth in the Checkatrade Trophy final.
And what started as a joke, resulted in the creation of a special Mother's Day card which has proven way more popular than expected.
The card reads 'Happy Mother's Day' on the front and features some flowers within a Checkatrade Trophy -shaped vase. Open the card and you are greeted with a message of 'Happy Mother’s Day, Sorry I’m not there…I’m on Wembley Way! Ha’way the Lads!'.
The card was the idea of Wear The People's Nicola Ward, who admits to being blown away by the card's surprise popularity.
Nicola said: "The whole idea started out as a joke and how most of the lads in the family would be away on Mother’s Day at Wembley.
"We thought we’d print 50 to test the water and in the first day 850 orders came through in 5 hours. To say we were overwhelmed would be an understatement.
"It has been non stop all week with people helping to pack the cards and get them shipped.
"The whole idea has really caught the imagination of Sunderland fans from all over the UK and the world. Hopefully Mother’s spending Mothering Sunday away from their sons or daughters can have a little chuckle at the cards they’ve received.”
The cards are being sold by Wear The People - a SAFC Facebook fan engagement page with over 11,000 followers which was created by Mal Robsinson.
A percentage of the proceeds will go to newly formed community interest group – Sports And Armed Forces Community Action Group (SAAFCAG), which was set up in 2018 to raise funds for bespoke projects to cater for former sports players and veterans suffering from mental health elements particularly isolation and depression.
For big Sunderland fan Nicola, it's her way of getting excited for the big Wembley cup final - with a Checkatrade Trophy record, sell-out crowd expected.
She said: "It’s been great Sunderland getting to Wembley. Obviously promotion is the main priority this season, but no one would have turned down the chance to visit Wembley at the start of the season, so it’s great to get our day in the sun after two dreadful seasons.”
To order your own special Mother's Day card, visit the Wear The People website here.
