Apprenticeships lead to full time employment during pandemic…

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Despite the global pandemic Walsall FC Community Trust have created 6 new jobs from their Apprenticeship Scheme.

Walsall have run a very successful Apprenticeship programme, in its varying guises, since 1989.  Currently 13 of the Trust’s 15 full time staff have come through the apprenticeship programme. This includes the current Community Director Adam Davy and the senior management team.

The latest six additions to Walsall’s apprenticeship production line joined the trust at the start of 2020. 5 of these Apprentice placements focused on the sports coaching aspects of the scheme and the final placement focused on media and marketing.

By the end of March 2020 the government placed the country in lockdown, effectively suspending all delivery of programmes for the scheme.  Undeterred, the management staff and tutors continued to support the Apprentices to complete their studies and all reach successful competition of their courses by August 2020.

Adam Davy, Community Director, said: “Our Apprentices were faced with 6 months of distance learning to complete their courses.  Unfortunately, they missed out on some of the practical experience they should have gained but we were so pleased with them for completing their studies during a difficult time and passing their courses with flying colours.  By September we were starting to return to session delivery and work on our Covid recovery programmes.  One of our proudest achievements of 2020, the most difficult of years, was to be able to employ all of them on full time contracts in September.”

Employing all of the Apprentices as Assistant Community Officers meant that they were fully capable of leading programmes and, along with the other existing full time staff, were able to deliver Covid safe sessions as the scheme was inundated with participants who couldn’t wait to return to our Sport, Education, Health and Engagement sessions.

Sadly, though, the scheme had to halt new Apprenticeship places as the country slowly began to get back to its feet.  This proved, in hindsight, a wise decision as the country entered 2 more Lockdowns during November 2020 and in January 2021.

During the 2 extra lockdowns 2 of the Apprentices moved to employment elsewhere as they adapted to life under Covid restrictions.  The 4 remaining staff each have a unique Apprenticeship story to share:

  • Daniel Jones joined the scheme straight after college, in September 2018, on a 2 year Apprenticeship.  Dan passed his 1st Year with distinction and successfully completed year 2.  He is a valuable asset to the scheme, operating as an Assistant Community Officer and delivering across a variety of projects.
  • Billy Cartwright is a previous participant on the schemes activities during his youth.  After starting a sports degree, Billy soon realised that the classroom based learning wasn’t right for him and looked for a more vocational training programme.  Billy transferred across to the Apprenticeship programme in September 2019 and became a full time employee on completion of his one year course.
  • Reuben Uppal also participated on community scheme activities at Walsall FC when he was younger. Following compulsory education, Reuben went on to complete a sports degree and had a passion for coaching.  He saw the Apprenticeship as an opportunity to gain more practical experience and a foot on the coaching ladder within a professional football club.  Reuben became a full time employee on completion of his one year course.
  • Jake Welch had been volunteering with the scheme since 2017 whilst employed in his family’s business.  Seeking a career change Jake opted to become an Apprentice for a year placement in September 2019.  Although already in his late 20’s, and older than most Apprentices, Jake saw the opportunity for a career change in to a professional football environment.  His hard work paid off when he was employed as Assistant Community Officer for Sport in September 2020.

Looking forward to a return to delivery in Spring 2021…

The Community Trust is currently working on a restart plan for 2021.  As well as looking at how they will safely return to delivery, once restrictions begin to be lifted, it will also be utilising the government Kickstart scheme.  5 new Kickstart roles are in the pipeline with a projected start date of April 2021.  Paul Larvin, Community Manager for Education will lead on the Kickstart programme and hopes that the Kickstarters can progress to become Apprentices in Autumn 2021;

Paul, said: “The Kickstart programme offers unemployed young people between 16 and 24 the opportunity to work within organisations and gain valuable work experience.  We see this as an opportunity to restart our Apprenticeship scheme by offering Kickstart places between Spring and Autumn 2021 with the intention of our Apprentice programme beginning in September or October.  Our aim is to recruit some passionate and enthusiastic Kickstarters and give them the opportunity to access the Modern Apprenticeship places that we plan to advertise later in the year.  It’s a win, win situation and will help to rejuvenate the Apprenticeship programme so that we can continue to offer this excellent provision and asset to the scheme.  As difficult as the last 12 months have been we have continued to look for the positives so that we can continue to support the community that we serve.”

 

The Joy of Moving Programme launches a virtual ‘Winter Games’

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Following a successful virtual Joy of Moving Home School Festival in the summer of 2020 where over 250,000 children got involved, the EFL Trust and Ferrero have launched a new virtual ‘Winter Games’ pack which will help inspire children to get moving in the toughest months for activity levels. Read more

Jack Beetham: My apprenticeship at the EFL Trust has been life changing

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‘Build the Future’ was the theme for National Apprenticeship Week last week, encouraging people to consider how apprenticeships help individuals to build the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career.

The Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, Gillian Keegan opened up the week saying, “Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to learn while you earn, opening up new and exciting career paths that can transform lives.”

This has certainly been the case for me.  Before I started at the EFL Trust in 2018,  I was doing a BTEC in Business Studies at Cardinal Newman College and had no idea what I wanted to do…. I was just living for the weekend. I felt lost and this lead to me going down all the wrong paths in life, I was slowly going off the rails and as a result my mental health was suffering massively.

I had reluctantly applied to University, knowing I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, just because it seemed the ‘normal’ thing to do after college. Thankfully I saw the opportunity at the EFL Trust as Apprentice Administrator and was successful with my application. The Administrator apprenticeship was absolutely perfect for someone who wasn’t quite sure what they wanted to do yet. The role involved such a variety of work across all departments and so I developed a huge range of skills and got a really good understanding of how the organisation works. As my apprenticeship was coming towards an end, an opportunity came up in the Marketing team, as they were looking to take on an apprentice. I had done lots of work for Marketing and I really enjoyed it and so I jumped at the opportunity when it came up!

When I started at the EFL Trust, what stood out straight away was how nice and friendly everyone was, I felt part of the team straight away and this helped me settle into working life perfectly. Going straight into working life in an organisation like this gave me purpose each day and really helped me to establish routine with my life and fitness. This massively helped me with getting my life back on track! Not only did the routine help, but being around such genuine people all day in a professional but friendly environment really helped me mature and grow so much as a person. I really would say my apprenticeship has been life changing. I dread to think what my life could be like now had I carried on living the ‘student life’ over the past few years!

I feel that in school and college young people are pushed towards the standard University route. If anyone is not sure what they would like to do in life, I would urge you to avoid following a set path just for the sake of it and look into an apprenticeship at an organisation like the EFL Trust!

Apprenticeship helps Taryn Find Her Dream Job

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For apprentice Taryn Follows, combining her passion for sports and working with children was something she was determined to make possible. Thanks to Wigan Athletic Community Trust’s apprenticeship programme, Taryn, 18, was able to turn her dream into a reality after joining the 18-month programme in September 2019.

The programme aims to provide youngsters aged 16-19 with opportunities to gain valuable experience of coaching in schools and community settings and on reflection she says was one of the best decisions she’s ever made.

Speaking during National Apprenticeship Week (8th-12th February), Taryn she said:

“When you leave school you could go straight into work, but I really wanted a practical approach to things. “There are many different pathways to go down but I wanted to continue to learn and get something out of it instead of just going into a job. “I’ve always had a passion for sports and working with children so by putting them together it gave me a dream job. I think my passion and determination to do it were the main reasons I threw myself at it. “Now having been here for 18-months it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my career and as a person too.

“I’m grateful for all the experiences and knowledge I’ve acquired and I can honestly say I’m a better person now than I was when I started. I’ve been able to focus on something that I enjoy whilst learning at the same time and helping other people. I wanted to do it for me but also to help others, to make a positive contribution but also get something out of it myself

“The whole experience has been incredible and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

The programme provides apprentices with the opportunity to work with head coaches from across the Community Trust and something Taryn believes will only benefit her going forward.

“Being on the apprenticeship has allowed me to come to work and enjoy what I’m doing and it’s been incredible to work with so many different people on different projects. You get a new perspective from them all and every session you learn something new and take something out of it whether that’s something from the lesson plan, the method behind it or the actual techniques and skills you’re delivering with. I think the skills I’ve been able to develop during the apprenticeship are priceless and will stay with me for the rest of my life, both on a personal and professional level. I can transfer them and apply them in everything that I do

“It’s been so positive to be able to work with coaches who have been in my position and been an apprentice too. They have been successful in getting full-time jobs with the Community Trust and for me it’s great to take on and adopt some of the ways they deliver. Every coach has a different style and technique when delivering so being with so many people you can pick that up.”

Asked about her aspirations for the future, Taryn hopes to continue her studies and her aspirations to become a full-time sports coach.

“The apprenticeship has enabled me to see things from a whole new perspective and have a better understanding of the careers available in the industry and the pathways I can take to get there. It has helped me to decide that sports coaching is a career I’d like to pursue with. I have an interest in sign language as well which is something I’d like to carry on with and eventually combine the two. I think the next step for me is university and getting a degree which could open up further opportunities in a full-time coaching role. I’m definitely passionate in continuing with sports coaching.

“I’ve loved the whole experience and it’s definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It’s had the perfect balance of having your own responsibilities but we’d get help if we needed it. Although this year has been difficult with the pandemic, it has been incredible and what I’ve learnt will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

 

Will Mellor: The More Practical Way to Get Experience and a Degree

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Will Mellor, by his own admission, is not a particularly academic person but he is a great example how there are many routes to qualifications, employment and success.

Leaving school, a university education was not on the cards for Will and he struggled to get that critical first step into employment. A 12 week traineeship with Derby County Community Trust changed that and opened the door to an apprenticeship, which has now lead to him study for a degree with the Rams.

Will first joined Derby County Community Trust (DCCCT) on their traineeship back in February 2018 whilst looking into his first steps following school. Whilst on the traineeship he completed an extensive work placement within the Rams Schools and Coaching department. The experience that the traineeship provided allowed him to discover that he had a real passion for coaching, and that it could form the basis of his future career.

Derby County are one of several EFL Clubs on EFL Trust’s traineeship programme. A traineeship offers youngsters aged 16-23, who are currently not in education or employment the crucial first stepping stone to getting a job. The 12 week courses are week based at professional football clubs. Trainees receive free training in employment skills such as CV writing and interview skills in addition to receiving support on their functional Math and English skills. Crucially they also get the chance to gain valuable work experience in a wide range of industries.

On completing the traineeship, he applied for a Community Coach apprenticeship at the Trust which he went on to succeed in.  In recognition of his progress within his first year, he was awarded Derby County’s Education Champion at their Annual Awards in 2018.

Will then continued to progress through his apprenticeship with Mitre, gaining his academic qualifications along with gaining ‘on the ground’ experience. He completed his FA Level 1 qualification and is well on the way to completing his FA Level 2 too.

He was one of the first learners nationally to complete the new Level 2 Community Activator Coach apprenticeship before being completing the Supporting the Delivery of Physical Education and School Sports (Level 3) apprenticeship framework.

As his apprenticeship came to an end in 2020, he began to think about his future as a coach and decided to apply for DCCCT’s Community Coaching and Development Degree in partnership with the University of South Wales.

This course provides further experience, technical knowledge and enhances students’ abilities within coaching.

He started in the 2020/21 cohort last September, and is a vocal, vibrant member of the group, who always has something to contribute.

Jodie Hayes, Education Lead, Derby County Community Trust, comments, “Will is just one of many apprentices who have gone on to continue their educational journeys within Derby County Community Trust.  We currently have two part-time coaches who are in the third year of their degree and two previous apprentices who have completed the degree and moved on to full-time jobs in other industries. The pathway that traineeship to apprenticeship, to degree, can provide, forms a solid base from which our learners go on to succeed, in the sports industry and beyond.”

The Traineeship was a ‘Game Changer’ for Me

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“My confidence was at a real low and I found going out an experience that made me really anxious” says Jacob Fahy.

However, looking at the confident young Plymouth Argyle Apprentice Community Coach now, that statement seems hard to believe.

Jacob credits a 12 week traineeship with Argyle Community Trust as the being the turning point in his life. He describes the Traineeship course as “a game changer for me – it helped me work out what I wanted to do and rebuild my life. The course was an amazing experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity.”

Plymouth Argyle are one of several EFL Clubs on EFL Trust’s traineeship programme. A traineeship offers youngsters aged 16-23, who are currently not in education or employment the crucial first stepping stone to getting a job. The 12 week courses are week based at professional football clubs. Trainees receive free training in employment skills such as CV writing and interview skills in addition to receiving support on their functional Math and English skills. Crucially they also get the chance to gain valuable work experience in a wide range of industries.

Prior to starting  the Traineeship programme, Jacob had been out of education and employment for over 2.5 years. Jacob is very open and honest in describing his journey from this starting point, highlighting that “my confidence was at a real low, so meeting the tutor for the first meeting was a real challenge.” After scheduling a meeting in the relaxed surroundings of a local coffee shop with a referral partner that Jacob was working with (and after much discussion about Jacob’s favourite football team Liverpool’s title chances), Jacob had decided he would like to step out of his comfort zone and join the programme.

Throughout the course, Jacob opted to complete his work experience in coaching children. This was something that he excelled in and thoroughly enjoyed, so much so he knew that this was what he wanted to do in the future.

He says “Prior to the course, I was not sure what I wanted to do and lacked any real career focus or motivation. Working with children through my work placement though was amazing and helped me to realise what I was passionate about!”

Jacob successfully completed the course and then sought to progress onto an apprenticeship, applying for a vacancy at Plymouth Argyle Football in the Community Trust. Jacob’s charisma and new found confidence were pivotal in him securing the role, to Jacob’s delight!

Jacob is now undertaking the Level 2 Community Activator Coach apprenticeship standard. The apprenticeship looks to support those aspiring to follow a career in the sport or education sectors, through working with children across both school and community sports contexts.

Part of Jacobs’s role has afforded him the opportunity to become involved in supporting key workers and vulnerable children at St. Catherine’s Primary School in Launceston, Cornwall, during the current national lock down restrictions.

Jacob describes this experience as being “absolutely incredible, allowing me to build some amazing relationships with pupils and staff, whilst also being able to support them in getting active and staying healthy.

 

Dan Shurmer, Plymouth Argyle Football in the Community Trust Training and Skill Manager comments, “We are extremely proud of Jacob’s progress and very much look forward to supporting his professional development through this exciting apprenticeship pathway.”

Find out more about our traineeships

Mike Evans: 2020 was clearly an extraordinary year that brought unparalleled challenges….so what next?

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2020 was clearly an extraordinary year that brought unparalleled challenges to us all. Everyone has been affected by Coronavirus in some way, and I send my thoughts and condolences to those who have, and continue to, experience loss and tough times. 

From a work perspective, the challenges last year have been unlike any other and I spoke to many people about the dangers of fatigue and burn out.

As we moved into 2021 and were met with another national lockdown, at the EFL Trust we are making sure that we focus on the importance of our people and their wellbeing. We are introducing more ways to ensure that we promote positive work life balance and task driven success in our environment.

We started 2021 by checking and challenging our ‘Build Back Strategy’ that we produced, alongside our long term strategy, in response to the pandemic. Over the coming days, we are sharing our vision for the next 6 months with our network and ensuring alignment and support strategies are positively received by our most important team.

The response of our teams throughout 2020, supported by the Board, to re-engineer businesses, re-imagine programme delivery and identify and secure new opportunities to support our communities is something I am extremely proud of. None of this has been easy and tough decisions around furlough, cost controls and salary freezes have had to be made within our organisation, to ensure the sustainability of our charity.

During the first working weeks of 2021, the team have announced the vital role that the EFL Trust, Clubs and Club Community Organisations will be playing in providing jobs for young people via the Government’s Kickstart programme. Over 500 young people will be able to apply for vacancies across our Clubs and CCOs and be placed in jobs including access to training for a minimum of six months. Our first ‘kickstarters’ are now in place at Luton Town and Harrogate Town, with more vacancies being filled and advertised across the country as the year goes on.

Including Kickstart, over the last eight months we have secured new income streams of £7 million through our MHCLG Faith, Race and Hate Crime project, the DCMS Loneliness project, NCS School Support, a two year extension to our Ferrero partnership and the Youth Futures Foundation pilot. We also worked very closely with Sport England to access emergency funding directly to our CCOs.

At the time of writing we are finalising contracts for 2021 NCS delivery and the numbers look positive, ensuring that we can continue our legacy of offering the highest quality experience to young people through our programme. The review of youth services that the Government is carrying our next spring is something we will be working on as a key priority. We see this as a major opportunity to position the network at the heart of Government’s thinking for the future.

We entered 2021 confident but not complacent, and remain acutely aware that factors beyond our control will continue to play a large part in our planning and delivery.  We will need to continue being agile and flexible and recognise that there are likely to be many ongoing challenges.

We will continue to show the passion and dedication that we did in 2020 in order to overcome the challenges that 2021 presents and we look forward to a positive year, committed to creating the strongest communities we can.

EFL CLUBS AND CLUB COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS TO PROVIDE HUNDREDS OF KICKSTART JOBS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

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500 young people will have the opportunity to work in an EFL Club or Club Community Organisation as part of the government’s Kickstart scheme.

Over 65 EFL Clubs have signed up to be involved, offering six-month work placement jobs roles to young people aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit – with the aim to give young people the opportunity to build their skills in the workplace and to gain experience to improve their chances of finding long-term work.

Vacancies at Clubs and their charitable arms will include business admin, sports coaches, marketing, ground staff, finance, youth work, graphic design, film & photography and HR and data administration roles

Kickstart gives young people the opportunity they need to get their foot on the ladder and a foothold in the world of work. Nationally, the scheme has already created more than 38,000 vacancies across the UK and received over 4,000 applications from employers. Tens of thousands more jobs are expected in the coming months.

The scheme targets young people who have been hit especially hard by Coronavirus and Kickstart focuses on giving them the best possible chance of getting a job.

Under the scheme, the EFL Trust, the charitable arm of the EFL will be acting as a Gateway provider, bringing together a network of Football Clubs, Community Organisations and other partners, to provide a wealth of opportunities across the country for the out-of-work youngsters.

Over the past 3 weeks, the first Kickstarters to take roles within EFL Clubs have come into post.

Maklin Doherty has joined Luton Town Football Club’s Community Trust as Marketing and Communications Assistant. After graduating with a 2:1 degree in Graphic and Communication Design from the University of Leeds in 2019, Maklin found it increasingly difficult to find opportunities during the pandemic and had to apply for Universal Credit.

Macklin said:

“The recruitment process and feedback from the Trust made me feel seen and revived a level of confidence within myself that has been lacking since the first lockdown began. That barriers I felt existed collapsed before my eyes.

“The recruitment process was efficient and professional, taking only 15 days from making my application to receiving the job offer.”

Macklin started his role with the Trust this week and is particularly looking forward to the variety of work in an organisation with its heart in its community.

Henry Whitaker, 22, has joined Harrogate Town, also in a communications role, directly supporting the Media manager at the Club. Henry has always wanted to work within football and as a result was volunteering at the Club to gain experience to assist him with job applications. Henry has already experienced announcing a new player at the Club and is very excited for the future.

Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP said:

“It’s great to see the EFL Trust sign up to the Kickstart scheme, to nurture and support so many of our next generation of workers. This fantastic commitment will see nearly 500 young people take up a diverse range of roles, from working in finance and HR, to becoming a sports coach or marketing for a major club.

“The Kickstart Scheme gives thousands of young jobseekers a chance to get on the jobs ladder – they’ll gain vital work experience, build a network of contacts and learn the value of earning a wage for themselves – as part of our £30bn Plan for Jobs helping people of all ages into work.”

Mike Evans, CEO, EFL Trust said:

“This impact of COVID-19 on our young people is clearly very significant and we are delighted to be able to offer opportunities to young people in our communities through the Kickstart programme. A key part of our strategy at the EFL Trust is to raise aspirations and realise the potential within our communities and a scheme like Kickstart enables us to have a significant impact on the young people who need out support most right now.”

Adrian Tallon, Head of Education and Employability, EFL Trust added:

“We have a wide range of opportunities in terms of job roles and have a strong commitment to training and development for young people. The scheme will offer an important step to begin careers and build key life skills.”

Boro Awarded £100k to Continue to Distribute Food to Those in Need

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MIDDLESBROUGH FC FOUNDATION have been chosen as one of Barclays’ UK charity partners, because of  the meaningful work they are doing with Tees Valley Community.

In April, Barclays announced a £100m Community Aid Package to support charities that are helping people and communities most impacted by COVID-19. Alongside a colleague-matched fundraising initiative and the £10m pledged through their 100×100 Programme, Barclays is donating funds to charity partners across the UK, Americas, Asia and Europe to ensure help reaches those who need it most.

The donation to MFC Foundation is £100,000, money which will be used to fund the continuation of its work of distributing food parcels to those who need it most at this time. Working with the Food Poverty Partnership, the Foundation will also ensure that the funds are used to enhance sustainable food options in Tees Valley for the foreseeable future, ensuring that there are accessible and affordable options available for local people.

Helena Bowman, Head of Foundation, said: “This is a significant investment for MFC Foundation and will make a huge difference to individuals in our community who, unfortunately, are in a position where they require support with food. We will ensure that this funding is used to sustain a long-term impact and we would like to thank Barclays for their generosity.”

Barclays chosen partners in the UK include those who are meeting the immediate needs of low-income families, those facing financial hardship, isolated elderly people, NHS staff and key workers.

Judith Richardson, Barclays Relationship Director, said: “This crisis has had an unprecedented impact across the UK and we know this is an incredibly challenging time for many in the Teesside region. By reaching those most in need of support, local charities, such as Middlesbrough FC Foundation have played a vital role in this crisis to date, and no doubt they will do going forward.

“As a proud member of our community, we are doing everything we can for our customers, clients and colleagues, and we hope that our partnership with Middlesbrough FC Foundation will allow many others to access the help they need as this crisis develops.”

How Football Helped Thousands of People Over Christmas

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For many, it’s usually the most wonderful time of the year, but for others, even in a year without COVID-19, it can be the most difficult time of the year. For everyone Christmas was different this year. However, across the length and breadth of the country, EFL Clubs and their Community Organisations (CCOs) were busy making sure people in their communities had the best possible Christmas that they could.

An incredible amount of activity took place over the festive period; Clubs connected with isolated people in their community – even visiting them on Christmas Day. They also provided 1,000’s of presents for children who had little or nothing to look forward to. Food was delivered for those who could have gone hungry, including Christmas dinners.  Christmas cards with special messages were written from the young to the old.  Thanks to their Football Club, many thousands of people were helped this Christmas.

Here are just some of the fantastic activities that went on in our EFL Communities, many of which continue on into the New Year:

Blackpool

Blackpool FC Community Trust completed a Christmas fundraising challenge, which saw fans, the community, businesses, first team players and staff raise an amazing £41,311.

Club owner Simon Sadler, his family and Segantti Capital Management partners and staff have matched this achievement, meaning an unbelievable £82,622 was raised to help local children. The funds went towards providing close to 2000 gifts for children that would otherwise have very little.

Blackpool’s team worked with a number of companies and travelled to Birmingham, Manchester and local stores to collect all the gifts. The Community Trust team had the unenviable task of wrapping almost 2000 boxes for the children all in BFC branded paper to make sure the gifts were as special as possible. The gifts were delivered to schools, in time for parents to collect them.

The Trust staff also volunteered to visit some of their most at risk and isolated participants on Christmas Day. You can read the full story here. 

Derby County

Derby County knew that the festive period was going to be difficult and in many instances challenging, for their communities. To remedy some of that, several projects were set up.

County worked with the local authority to supply, prepare and deliver over 500 three course meals to those who were isolated, including to those on our ‘Tackling Loneliness Together’ project. Their current trainees assisted the delivery of these meals along with gift hampers provided by a local business.

Rams fans and participants on the Trust’s programme also nominated those who had made a difference to their lives across the pandemic and sent out ‘Christmas Community Cracker’ gifts to say thank you for their efforts.

Pride Park Stadium, which has been acting as a food donation hub, saw record levels of donations to support those in need. Care packages were distributed across the Trust’s health projects and Christmas themed events were run virtually across the schools network to keep the festive feeling going!

AFC Bournemouth

AFC Bournemouth Community Trust hosted their ‘Care South’ Christmas afternoon tea.  The annual event was hosted slightly differently to normal, as it was running virtually. During the event, videos and songs were played to get everyone singing and dancing in their homes and player ambassador Jack Simpson got involved in the fun.

Bradford City

Bradford City recorded short question-and-answer sessions with their players to provide entertainment for local schoolchildren who had sent in questions.

On Saturday December 19, City’s home match against Cambridge United was dedicated to Bradford Hospitals’ Charity and the work they do for youngsters over the Christmas period.  It was a show of support for the hard work done by the NHS throughout 2020. This filled the void of players being unable to visit Bradford hospitals and deliver Christmas gifts due to COVID-19, and activities included the club sponsoring a Christmas snowflake, warming up in BHC t-shirts, and purchasing gifts for poorly children off BHC’s Amazon Wishlist – each member of the first-team squad contributed to this.

After the match, a box of 23 retro Bradford City football shirts were donated to Centrepoint, as part of this year’s Shirt Appeal, which aimed to care for homeless people across the Bradford district. The month then concluded with the delivery of 1,500 food parcels to disadvantaged youngsters across the Bradford district. Additionally 150 meals were delivered to doorsteps across Bradford every day from Monday December 21 to Friday January 1 – including a Christmas-dinner on December 25.

 Charlton Athletic

During December, Charlton Athletic continued to support the local community with food parcels. A week before Christmas, Charlton’s new owner, Thomas Sandgaard, donated 50 Charlton Shirts to CACT’s Downs Syndrome team, 50 shirts to Bexley Council for their “kids in care” project and 50 shirts to Greenwich Council for the children receiving food hampers.

15 of CACT’s health team have also been trained to do COVID-19 lateral flow testing.  CACT is now responsible for the staffing of 2 test centres in the Greenwich Borough.

Hull City

Members of Hull City’s Tigers Trust team worked in partnership with ‘Aim Higher’, a local Hull based charity that empowers families facing autism, mental health and education barriers. The Tigers Trust team helped deliver Christmas Eve boxes filled with specially selected items that would help entertain the children throughout the festive period. They packaged and delivered over 80 boxes to families in Hull and East Riding to make their Christmas’ special. One father commented that it was the first proper smile he’d seen from his daughter in over a month.

Peterborough United

Peterborough United have supported local families and those most vulnerable in delivering food parcels to help ensure people in the community didn’t go hungry this Christmas. The Posh have reached 370 local residents. United have also been delivering food packages on behalf of Millfield Community Fridge, a local charity food bank, to vulnerable local residents.

The Posh are also working closely with Disability Peterborough and Caring Together to support getting those that need transport to and from vaccination appointments.

Colchester United

Colchester United Football in the Community have continued to service the needs of their community throughout the Christmas Period. United holiday provision programmes provided activities free of charge as well as healthy food for those on free school meals. These activities provided over 200 meals from the 21st – 24th December.

Carlisle United

During December the Community Trust helped out at one of the Carlisle Community Help Affordable Food Hubs. Trust staff organised food supplies to be brought to the hub, stocked and packed for individual requirements and delivered them to vulnerable people.

Wigan Athletic 

During the festive period, Wigan Athletic Community Trust made a real difference to those who may be at risk of loneliness and social isolation during Christmas. Thanks to the generous donations from Wigan Athletic supporters and players, over 300 Christmas support packages brought some festive cheer to local residents, care homes and patients at the local hospital during what could have been a difficult time for them. Packages contained Christmas gifts and also letters and cards from local primary school children. The deliveries were supported by Latics first team players and staff, who donated to the appeal and also dropped the packages off to a number of residents. This was on top of donating and delivering presents to 100 local children at Hope School, the local hospital’s children’s ward and youngsters attending holiday camps at Wigan Youth Zone, where they also enjoyed sports activities and a free lunch.

Queens Park Rangers

Throughout the most unusual Christmas and New Year Periods, QPR in the Community once again remained at the forefront of their local community, ensuring that everyone in the west London area received some festive cheer and remained connected throughout these unprecedented times.

After partnering with Tesco prior to Christmas, club ambassador Andy Sinton and staff from the Trust were able to deliver over 100 Christmas hampers to members of the club’s Extra Time group. The group includes some of the most vulnerable people in the west London area, many of whom were alone this Christmas.

Throughout the festive season, the Trust’s safeguarding team have been in regular contact with people from all over the world through the ‘R’ You OK?’ campaign which ensures those who are struggling during this tough time will always have someone to speak too.

Swindon Town

Swindon Town delivered festive packages to isolated people as part of the Tackling Loneliness Together programme. These 100 Christmas packages, contained food essentials, Christmas treats such as Christmas pudding and mince pies, boxes of chocolates, a mug, books, a bag of gifts such as socks, baseball caps, drinks bottles and more. These were hand delivered across Swindon and Wiltshire to the delight of the participants. This also afforded us another chance to catch up with the participants in person before Christmas and New Year.

The community trust also delivered free Holiday Camps targeted at schools in areas of depravation, with support from the Premier League. The courses included transport to and from the venue and also provided lunch.

Port Vale

Port Vale Foundation have continued with their food package deliveries and over the festive period hand delivered over 15,000 meals to families across Stoke-on-Trent. They also launched a 2020 Christmas Appeal which saw hundreds of presents delivered to those who weren’t going to have anything to open on Christmas Day.

Vale’s ‘Cards for Vera’ campaign captured the imagination of school children (and some of their adults!) as the Foundation asked people to help us to put a smile on 90 year old Vale Fan Vera’s face. Until she became a part of Port Vales’s friendship calls and garden visits, she hadn’t seen anyone for over 8 months.

Luton Town

As part of Luton Town’s #tacklinglonelinesstogether project, the Club teamed up with local schools to encourage over 1,000 pupils to produce festive cards that were distributed to older supporters and vulnerable adults living alone or having to self-isolate in Luton. The children designed the front cover and wrote a greeting inside the card along with a poem or short story.

Kevin Thorburn, from Luton Town Community Trust, commented, “Some of the messages created are so heart-warming that they bring a tear to the eye – kids are so perceptive when it comes to topics like loneliness and vulnerability, whereas often adults can often turn a blind eye as ‘we’re all too busy’! The aim of 1,000 festive cards from 1,000 kids was to ensure that for people of all ages and backgrounds, staying at home does not lead to loneliness and by linking the youngest with the oldest members of our community we’ve made some impact and brought a smile or two to some lonely faces.”

Local resident, Pat Pueschal contacted the community team’s office to let us know,

“Today I received a lovely hand-made Christmas card. This was a delightful surprise and I am extremely pleased with it. It has been made by Olivia and it has pride of place on my mantelpiece.”

Bolton Wanderers

In the build up to Christmas, Bolton Wanderers helped to support the most vulnerable members of their community through a number of initiatives. As part of the Tackling Loneliness Together project they carried on phone calls, garden gate visits and 1-1 walks to those aged 70 and above, whilst over 100 Christmas cards and wellbeing booklets were delivered to their older season ticket holders. Wanderers also delivered 3 days of holiday activity and food camps for vulnerable children as part in partnership with the Premier League and Bolton Council. Staff from the Community Trust also volunteered their time at Bolton’s Humanitarian Hub helping to pack and load Christmas hampers to those most in need over the Christmas period.

Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green Rovers were very active during December. Rovers boosted the ‘Kids Stuff’ Christmas Appeal with Stroud District Foodbank, with gifts from their Academy which reached over  500 children. They supported @Play_Glos’s ‘Christmas Bags of Play’ by donating over 200 children’s football shirts, shorts, 500 newsletters and Christmas cards. Over 2,500 Green Devil magazines were distributed to 70 local schools and a further 300 were delivered to sheltered accommodation and care homes. Rovers also sent over 500 Christmas cards/letters from our FGR Community Ambassadors to participants of our Tackling Loneliness Together project.

Northampton Town

Northampton Town FC Community Trust has been reaching out to numerous members of the public over the age of 70 who are lonely and feeling isolated. Club players and management joined in with the effort with Manager Keith Curle, Assistant Manager Colin West and players Nicky Adams, Sam Hoskins, Ricky Holmes, Ryan Watson and Danny Rose making personal calls to isolated supporters. The calls went down brilliantly, with players and management spending 10-20 minutes on the phone with each person they called. The Northampton Town FC Community Trust staff have been calling those who are vulnerable and isolated since the beginning of the pandemic in March. This work has continued and the Community Trust staff even spent some of their Christmas Day making calls to those who may have been spending that time alone.

Cambridge United

The Christmas period was definitely the time for giving for Cambridge United Community Trust. As an early Christmas present, United donated 120 sets of kits (in total worth £5,400) to 12 schools in their local community to thank them for their support throughout the difficult year

United also wanted to ensure that local seniors in their community were keeping healthy, engaged and connected. As well as ringing round all of the football club’s senior season ticket holders, they  dropped off Christmas presents including Cambridge United calendars, scarves and activity packs to those who have been taking part in their Forever United activities (as part of the Tackling Loneliness Together initiative).

The U’s mascot Marvin the Moose also made a special visit to The Gretton School for a special visit to our Every Player Counts disability football session participants.

Preston North End

Preston North End Community and Education Trust [PNECET] supported the elderly and most vulnerable members of the Preston community by delivering 600 essential food hampers throughout December, as part of the Helping Hampers campaign. Hampers, which also contained seasonal and festive materials, were delivered to identified vulnerable people, primary school children who usually receive free meals, those accessing the Tackling Loneliness Together programme and PNECET programme members. Some hampers were even delivered by Preston City Councillors.
PNECET also worked alongside the Here for Humanity group, ensuring 100 Hampers went out on Christmas day, accompanied by cooked Christmas dinners. NCS participants packed and boxed the hampers, and also wrapped Christmas presents that were gifted to young carers from across Preston, who would otherwise receive little at Christmas time.
Tackling Loneliness Together provision continued with friendly phone calls and garden gate visits made to season ticket holders, while 20 young people who normally receive free school meals were further supported by the Happy Holiday Club provision, which saw those identified vulnerable young people receive nutritious free lunches and physical activity sessions from PNECET. Find out more here.