Blackpool FC Community Trust column: Looking back and making plans hand in hand with the Seasiders

It’s certainly been a bumpy road, with some significant ups and downs, but I can honestly say I have loved most of my time with the charity and we have had some significant successes.

In that time, we have gone from a team of seven staff to one of over 60 and have developed many new provisions to help our community, so there is much to be proud of.

The future is even more exciting, with the revitalised football club, partnerships we have built locally and plans we have for the next few years.

This week we have also officially launched the new Community Cohesion strand of work we now deliver at the Trust.

This focuses on supporting young people and adults to disengage in negative behaviours and attempts to reduce antisocial behaviour and involvement with crime.

Jason White and his community programmes team have done an amazing job in developing this work.

I strongly believe this area will continue to grow in the next few years, with our growing reputation.

There are very few, if any, organisations and charities capable of capturing the attention of hard-to-reach young people like we can at the football club.

We have a very unique pull to engage them and can back that up with fantastic staff and support to make sure we have an impact on changing people’s lives for the better.

We were also able to announce this week that Simon Sadler has agreed to continue his support for our Unstoppable programme, delivered in local primary schools.

The work Jen Croft and Marc Joseph have done to develop this programme over the past year has been recognised nationally and been held up as best practice by the Premier League.

“We intend to use Simon’s very generous support to find a sustainable model over the next 12 months to expand this work and make sure it is in place for the long term in local schools.

With Covid, this type of mental health provision has never been more important and we plan to develop a whole strand of work in schools around Personal Health and Social Education.

It is also great to welcome back a former BFCCT staff member in Ciaran Donnelly, who has returned to the club as Adcademy Director.

When Ciaran originally moved into the role of Academy manager at Bloomfield Road, we continued to work very closely and built some great initiatives between the Trust and Academy.

We have already spoken about develop links again in order to build a strong partnership.

We have a collective responsibility to support local youth, so it’s a perfect synergy that I’m really excited about.

ASHLEY HACKETT

Blackpool FC Community Trust is now working more closely with the football club to help the community at a difficult time.

Blackpool has the highest rate of serious violent crime in Lancashire. Deprivation in some areas is a factor, exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic.

Blackpool FC and BFC Community Trust have come together to support the community through the development of a new Community Cohesion strand.

This forms part of the Community Programmes service within the BFCCT portfolio.

Partners gathered at Bloomfield Road on Monday for the official launch of Community Cohesion

BFCCT chief executive Ashley Hackett said: “We are really pleased to have launched this strand of work, which we have taken a great deal of time and consideration to develop.

“Youth crime and antisocial behaviour are an ever- growing issue in Blackpool and being able to utilise our great football club as a mechanism to engage our targeted audiences is a unique and powerful way to inspire our next generation onto positive pathways.”

Jason White, head of community programmes at BFCCT added: “This is a great development for the Trust and town and we are immensely proud.

“Furthermore, while the focus is absolutely on making this provision the best it can be to achieve the desired outcomes, we are also looking to the future and have clear ideas on how this can be developed further.”

The importance of this work was reinforced by Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw, who has provided support through his Reducing Reoffending Fund.

He said: “It was great to attend this fantastic launch. Their drive and dedication is clear to see.

“Policing alone cannot prevent people reoffending, which is why I continue to support initiatives that break the cycle offenders all too often find themselves trapped in.

“By working in partnership with community organisations, we can make a real difference at a local level and avoid offenders returning through the criminal justice system and make our communities safer.”

This sentiment was echoed by Detective Chief Superintendent Sue Clarke, who heads up Lancashire Violence Reduction Network.

She said: “This new Community Cohesion strand is an important part of helping young people to make good choices that divert them away from crime.

“We know the significant impact that role models can have on young people, and by working in partnership in this way we know we can make a real difference and affect positive change that keeps our young people safe.”

Ben Mansford, chief executive at Blackpool Football Club, added: “It’s so important that young people in Blackpool have the opportunity to positively engage with this great football club and feel proud that this is their club and their town.

“My hope is that the work the Trust is doing, which we are delighted to support, will achieve that.

“And hopefully we’ll see more young people in Bloomfield Road backing the team this season.”