Blackpool FC Community Trust column: Some light at the end of the tunnel?

It has resulted in a number of us at Blackpool FC Community Trust once again spending a great deal of time watching the TV in depth and reading the 60-page document a number of times.

It gives us a great opportunity to plan the next phase for ourselves and set clear objectives for when a host of our programmes can return to some form of normality.

From March 8, when our schools are allowed to open the doors to all pupils, we can also return to these establishments in full and begin to deliver our PL Primary Stars, Fit2Go, Unstoppable, High School Hubs, Children in Need, NCS and PL Inspires programmes in our schools.

This date also allows us to reopen the doors to our BFC Sports College and bring back our BTEC and degree students.

On March 29, we can begin to extend our Kicks and disability coaching programmes with additional outdoor sessions and, subject to facilities being open, we hope to restart our walking football sessions from this date too.

Starting from April 12, we can relaunch our traineeship programme and also begin to plan out our newly-launched pre-traineeship scheme, all focused on engaging our young people currently not in education or employment and putting them on a more positive employment path.

While we could have started the education earlier, an essential part of this programme is work experience, so having all retail and entertainment businesses open at this point means we can then make the full offer.

We can start to reopen our FitFans weight management programme at the stadium from May 17 and finally, from June 21, we can welcome back our social groups face-to-face and start to enjoy our Sporting Memories, Vets and Extra Time participants coming back together.

June genuinely cannot come soon enough and being in a position then to potentially get all our programmes back to normal is exciting.

The staff are now following quite strict guidance to keep themselves, colleagues and participants safe, and we are now testing all staff twice a week at the stadium.

Amazingly, we have been testing for eight weeks, so 16 rounds of testing staff and we are yet to bring back a positive Covid-19 test.

This past week, during school half-term, we delivered six activity camps for targeted young people.

Five were for children who receive free school meals, have been deemed vulnerable, or whose parents are key workers, while one was for young people with disabilities and to be used as a respite for parents.

Participants engaged in lots of fun and safe activities and sports, and received a hot meal each day.

Staff really enjoyed the chance to get some normality back but also did an amazing job of keeping the groups to government guidance and safety procedures.

It’s really difficult to do our jobs under the current circumstances but staff have once again risen to the top and found ways to continue to help our community.

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