Young People on NCS transform local underpass for local public and football fans

Young people on Shrewsbury Town in the Community’s (STiTC) NCS programme  have received huge praise following their STFC-themed renovation of a once daunting underpass en-route to New Meadow.

The group of young people only met 2 weeks prior as they embarked on their NCS journey which is designed to build skills and confidence in young people as they approach adulthood.

As part of their NCS social action project, the two groups of young people dedicated time and resources to transform the underpass in hope of improving the overall commute for the local community. Following fundraising efforts, the group got to work on transforming the grey, overgrown area to a sea of blue and yellow, vibrant with colour and personality ahead of Shrewsbury’s first league game of the 2021/22 season.

Local landmarks and familiar passages are a key part of a football fans ritual when travelling to their home games. However, one particular underpass in close proximity to the home of Shrewsbury Town often deterred fans and families alike due to its poor lighting and uninviting feel.

The project has attracted 25,000+ impressions on social media platforms, and has had a far-reaching impact beyond footballing purposes and into the wider community.

“I used to be afraid of walking through the underpass late at night after work.”

said an employee of the local Sainsbury’s, who frequently walks through the underpass.

“But now, I feel so much safer.”

Billy Lanham, NCS Team Leader at STiTC, said: 

“It’s great to see that in such a short time we were able to make such a massive difference to the area. The local community and fans have been amazed with the area and I’m really proud of our young people who spent just five days pulling the project together.”

STiTC are part of the EFL Trust’s network of NCS delivery partners who, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, are supporting thousands of young people through NCS this summer.

This summer marks ten years since the EFL Trustand NCS partnered to deliver life-changing experiences for young people across the country through the social action scheme. 

The programme, delivered by 64 Delivery Partners, has engaged more than 65,000 teenagers to date and these young people have volunteered over 1.9 million hours to their local communities. The programme is designed to help young people realise their potential, reach their future goals and in-turn, improve local communities through positive social action.