Blackpool FC Community Trust: Paying our tributes through Remembrance events

Blackpool hosted Queens Park Rangers in a Championship fixture last Saturday, when six former and current military personnel from the Fylde coast formed a guard of honour for the two teams. All six take part in BFCCT activities.

This was then followed by the playing of the Last Post by Bob Wareham, who was one of those who formed the guard of honour.

The football club also invited 90 local armed forces veterans and family members to attend the match.

Half-time brought the ceremonial signing of the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a joint pledge from Blackpool FC and BFCCT to support the armed forces community.

On Wednesday, representatives of BFCCT, Blackpool FC, Blackpool FC Academy and the Former Players Association laid a wreath at the Blackpool & Fylde Arboretum.

The ceremony took place in an area managed by the Community Trust through their Veterans Gardening Club.

The area is dedicated to ex-Blackpool players who fell during WWI.

In the afternoon, a group of veterans attended a stadium history tour at Bloomfield Road, co-ordinated by the Community Trust.

Dave Maclean, community engagement manager at BFCCT, said: “It has been hugely rewarding for the Trust to support the club to coordinate this year’s Remembrance events.

“This is, in part, due to the fact that so many of those involved are people we support on a weekly basis through the various armed forces groups we deliver.”

Jason White, BFCCT’s head of community programmes, added: “We have been developing our armed forces offer for the past four years.

“To see how far we have come, which culminated in the activities and support we offered around the Remembrance Day period, has been hugely rewarding and we are incredibly proud of what we have achieved.

“We also have been successful in securing some additional financial support from both The Armed Forces Covenant and The Veterans Foundation.

“This will help us to both sustain and grow our offer, allowing us to reach even more people and their families. For their support, we are hugely grateful.”

BFCCT is proud to support Blackpool veterans through its sessions.

Veterans have the chance to engage with other members of the armed forces community and rediscover the unique camaraderie of serving soldiers.

Programmes include coffee mornings, gardening clubs, walking football, and the opportunity to represent Blackpool FC in veterans’ competitions against other clubs in the North West.

If you would like to know more information about what BFCCT offers, email [email protected] or visit www.bfcct.co.uk.

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 per month for the first two months. Try us today by clicking here