Youngsters in South Africa are now kitted out for the World Cup thanks to regulars at two pubs.

Drinkers at the Dew Drop Inn, in Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford, and at the Red Lion, in Oxford Road, Kidlington, donated 300 shirts which were taken to the country last month.

The so-called ‘shirt amnesty’ was part of a charity campaign called Project Fair Play, which has gathered 18,500 football shirts from pubs across the country for children in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Managers of pub company the Orchid Group said they had been overwhelmed by the generosity of customers since the shirt amnesty was launched in February.

Emma Pearce, pub manager at the Red Lion, said: “Project Fair Play embraces the passion for football that exists among our locals.

“This is going to be a huge summer for sport and it’s great to know our customers will help bring the spirit of the World Cup to disadvantaged youngsters.”

Katie Sparkes, from the Orchid Group, said: “It’s great that so many shirts were donated by customers at these two pubs.

“We took the shirts out to Masiphumelele township near Cape Town and the children were overjoyed to get them.

“Donations included Premiership and local team shirts and the children were happy with both.

“Children in South Africa need an incentive to go to school, and sport, particularly football, is one of the best ways of getting them there.

“They are so obsessed with football that it motivates them to go to school, particularly with the World Cup being staged in South Africa.

“The children think they are football superstars once they have got their shirts on and the girls were just as keen as the boys.

“We also took out some footballs with health messages on, because the HIV virus is a major problem in South Africa.”

Each of the donated shirts was washed, dried, sealed and packed before it was sent off to South Africa in time for the World Cup.

Representatives for the pubs visited two projects, in Masiphumelele and Red Hill, near Cape Town, to see some of the projects for themselves. Shirts were also distributed through townships in Johannesburg.

Pubs in the Orchid Group are also raising money throughout the World Cup period to fund sports projects for disadvantaged youngsters.

Half the money will help also children through the UK charity KidsOut.