West Brom's James McClean to use clothing line to help those in need
West Brom midfielder James McClean has a long history of giving back to the community, having previously donated thousands of pounds to families affected by tragedy. He's now created a clothing line inspired by Derry City's Josh Daniels, who lost his mother, sister, brother-in-law and two young nephews in a tragic car accident in March of this year.
The clothing line's branding was created with Daniels in mind, and McClean also announced that for every Thanksjosh order over £30, £5 will be donated to the Help the Homeless charity in Derry.
Daniels' family was killed when their Jeep lost traction on algae and slid off Buncrana Pier in Ireland as the driver, Sean McGrotty, 49, attempted to do a three point turn. McGrotty was able to save his four-month-old baby by handing off the child to passerby Davitt Walsh, who stripped down and dove in to assist, but McGrotty's young sons Mark, 12, and Evan, 8, 59-year-old mother-in-law Ruth Daniels and sister-in-law Jodi Lee Daniels, 14, all died in the tragedy.
Republic of Ireland international McClean started the Thanksjosh brand alongside Derry City player Jordan Allan, and the brand's three heart logo is taken from the daily messages of encouragement Allan sent to teammate Daniels to let him know he was in his thoughts in the days immediately following the incident.
McClean said he chose to start the brand in Derry because "it's where I'm from, it's where I grew up. I have strong football connections here and my family are here. It is a city that means so much to my heart and I thought, why not start off at home first.
“I am in a position where I am fortunate enough to be able to give back. We will be thinking about people leaving school and looking for their first job. If we can help in that sense, then it will be a win-win situation. Derry has been good to me and if I can give back that's what I want to do."
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