Sid the Shark was sent to the sin bin by fellow mascots at the weekend when he dropped in to watch Peterborough United’s Sky Bet League One clash with Bolton Wanderers.
The Posh joined forces with Stop Loan Sharks to raise awareness about illegal money lending and where borrowers can turn for help and Sid the Shark was special guest.
He met his match in the shape of club mascot Peter Burrow and was soon shown the red card, but not before he had posed for a few selfies with fans ahead of the game that ended with a 3-3 draw.
The players all warmed up wearing specially-designed Stop Loan Sharks t-shirts and fans who share their snap and tag Stop Loan Sharks in it can be in with the chance of winning a t-shirt signed by The Posh players.
Tony Quigley, head of the England Illegal Money Lending Team, known as Stop Loan Sharks, said: “It was great to be at the match on Saturday and to see so many fans. We would like to thank everyone at Peterborough United for welcoming us to the ground and to the players for lending their support to our fight against illegal lenders in England.
“We hope fans take away some of our key messages and we would love to see their pictures and find a lucky winner for the signed t-shirt.”
Clive Edwards, head of media and marketing at The Posh added: “We were delighted to partner with Stop Loan Sharks to help spread the word of their important mission and thoroughly enjoyed the activities with Sid and the team.”
Stop Loan Sharks can be found on Facebook @StopLoanSharksEngland, Instagram @stoploansharksengland and X @SLSEngland.
Many illegal money lenders are well known within their communities and are often introduced to borrowers through friends or family members. They are unregulated and give loans with no paperwork, charging extortionate interest rates. They often resort to threats, intimidation and even violence if repayments are not made.
The IMLT investigates and prosecutes illegal lenders in England and supports borrowers. This year marks its 20th anniversary of stopping loan sharks.
Since its launch, the IMLT has supported over 31,500 people and written off over £91.2 million worth of illegal debt, securing over 416 prosecutions for illegal money lending, leading to 598 years in jail.
Anyone who has been affected by illegal money lending should call the Stop Loan Sharks 24/7 Helpline on 0300 555 2222 or access support online at www.stoploansharks.co.uk. Live Chat is available on the website from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
