Blackpool FC Community Trust column: Prizes galore and happy to help clean up

This week the team have been busy putting some new supports in place for our community.
Staff joined in the cleaning up operation after the Bank Holiday weekendStaff joined in the cleaning up operation after the Bank Holiday weekend
Staff joined in the cleaning up operation after the Bank Holiday weekend

Last Friday, as part of the 10-year anniversary celebrations since our club rose to the dizzy heights of the Premier League, we launched two really exciting competitions for children and families to enjoy and get involved with.

The first is called ‘Show us your Adam’ and we have asked entrants to replicate Charlie Adam’s amazing free-kick scored in the play-off final and send us the video on our social media platforms.

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The winner will be sent an amazing prize donated by Charlie himself, who has kindly agreed to send us a signed pair of his football boots.

The second is the ‘Junior Reporter’ competition that includes a prize money cannot buy.

To enter, all you have to do is download the match report template on our website and write a report while watching the play-off final on the club’s YouTube channel.

Our ‘PL Primary Stars’ team will then pick the best report of the game.

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The winner will then be given the opportunity to visit Bloomfield Road – once restrictions allow – to interview our first-team head coach, Neil Critchley, and have their report published on the club and Trust websites, and published in a matchday programme.

Visit www.bfcct.co.uk to get more information.

Some of the team also joined up with staff from the football club and club hotel to help Blackpool Council with their clean sweep of the promenade after the sunny Bank Holiday weekend.

Volunteers spent a few hours cleaning all the rubbish people had left behind between Central Pier and the giant mirrorball on the prom and the beach.

The staff were greeted with a lovely response by some residents out and about doing their daily exercise.

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Hopefully the team made a difference in making our great town look a little better after the carelessness of people leaving their rubbish for others to pick up.

The team are also working hard to understand how our support can be extended to the community, with restrictions continuing to be relaxed further over the coming weeks.

One issue that has caused us great concern in the past few weeks has been the groups of young people congregating on local parks and open spaces.

In partnership with Revoelution and Blackpool Council, we are planning on trying to support our services with this issue, by doing some detached work and making these young people aware of the dangers they are putting themselves, friends, families and others at by not keeping their distance and following the guidance we have all been set.

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We’re hoping to divert them to some of our online services for now, until we can extend our face-to-face work in the – hopefully – not-so-distant future.

We are coming up with similar plans to engage all our groups, which will no doubt have to be phased in, because of different age categories and target groups and their needs and potential risk, but the staff remain active, creative and anxious to get further work started as soon as we can.

We’re aware that a number of our regular participants’ mental health and resilience has been significantly affected by having to stay at home and not engage in their regular activity, but we ask all to continue to stay at home and stay safe, so we can get all back involved in physical activity soon.