Blackburn Rovers open Community Wellbeing hub at Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers Community Trust recently opened a brand new Community Wellbeing Hub at Ewood Park; an innovative facility and a first of its kind to be available free of charge within a professional football stadium in England.

The opening of the Community Wellbeing Hub further showcases the commitment of Blackburn Rovers to improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing, as the Community Hub will provide a safe space for those seeking help in a non-clinical and welcoming environment.

Aiming to connect and empower people with a mental health need through effective and coordinated service delivery, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust will work closely with the NHS, and as part of this, the Hub will support their ‘stepping up/stepping down’ strategy, so individuals can receive the help needed for personal recovery and independence.

The Community Wellbeing Hub is free to access, and will provide shared office space, breakout rooms and leisure spaces for health-related organisations to work from and see their clients.

More than 50 people from various organisations attended the official opening of the Community Wellbeing Hub in September, including senior representatives from the NHS and Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Also present was first-team player Dominic Hyam, embodying the ‘One Rovers’ ethos that underpins both the football club and the Community Trust’s approach to community engagement.

Blackburn Rovers Community Trust CEO, Gary Robinson, and Head of Health and Wellbeing, Eddie Owen, also presented to those in attendance regarding the importance of the Hub and the facility’s strategic objectives.

Speaking about the launch of the Hub, Gary Robinson, said: “Planning for the Community Wellbeing Hub started more than three years ago and I am very excited that we are now in able to launch the facility that will help thousands of people.

“We care passionately about improving people’s health and wellbeing. After extensive research, we discovered there was little or no non-clinical safe spaces for people to utilise for physical and mental wellbeing support.

“Unfortunately, there can be a stigma attached to clinical settings, and this can discourage people from reaching out for help, when for some this could be the best way to receive the help they require to recover and improve their wellbeing.

“There could be a number of reasons why people visit Ewood Park and we want utilise the outstanding dedicated community space to open up more opportunities for people to get support. We are really looking forward to the difference we can make now we have this unique facility.”

The opening of the Hub at Ewood Park marked a significant achievement for both the Community Trust and Blackburn Rovers Football Club, demonstrating the unwavering dedication to the local community and how important the club is too many people, both on and off the pitch.

Blackburn Rovers Head of Health and Wellbeing, Eddie Owen, added: “I’m extremely proud to lead such a pioneering project. Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and its partners feel collectively we have a brilliant opportunity to showcase this unique community wellbeing facility that supports local health related organisations, partners and participants to help improve access to quality care.

“We are looking forward to referring participants into the Community Wellbeing Hub from our current 20 health and wellbeing initiatives.

“We truly believe sport and physical activity has an extremely important part to play in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. We thank everyone who came along to the successful launch of the Hub, and we are looking forward to developing our brand new health and wellbeing strategy over the coming months.”