Blackpool FC Community Trust have recently prospered from a flourishing relationship with Morrisons, whose generous donations are helping to improve the quality of life for many young people around the town.
Conversations initially took place between Charlotte, the community champion from Blackpool Morrisons and the Community Programmes team at Blackpool FC Community Trust. Together, we discussed more about the activities we run and the people we engage with to see if there was a way to add any value to our community projects.
Community Youth Sport Manager Adam Aspinall said of Morrisons’ initial experiences with the Community Trust, “Charlotte first came down to our Premier League Kicks and Get Set to Go sessions to get a feel for the Community Trust and what we are about. These sessions are primarily aimed at working with people from hard-to-reach backgrounds in places of high deprivation, and Charlotte quickly realised that some of these young people could benefit from what Morrisons could offer. We then agreed that Charlotte would begin attending our PL Kicks sessions in the Claremont area where she began to bring boxes of free fruit and water for participants to enjoy as an added benefit of attending sessions”.
Throughout September we had 300 + children attend our PL Kicks sessions.
In addition to being able to offer this to PL Kicks participants at Claremont, Morrisons have also delivered numerous boxes of equipment which will be used over the coming months as part of various different Community Trust projects. This consisted of Rugby balls, toys, children’s games, boomerangs, stationary and various other goodies that young people will now be able to benefit from when engaging in programmes delivered by Blackpool FC Community Trust. These will be given out as awards for attendance and behaviour, as well as donated to young people deemed most at need.
Speaking on behalf of Morrisons Charlotte, the community champion for Blackpool Morrisons, went into more detail on what they do and why.
“As we all know the poverty in Blackpool is extremely high. The number of people using food banks in Blackpool has tripled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The UK unemployment rate has risen 5%, and domestic abuse in Blackpool is estimated to be nearly four times the national average during the pandemic. At Morrisons Blackpool we wanted to play our part in overcoming these issues and helping our community. We reached out to Blackpool FC Community Trust after realising the amazing work they do engaging and supporting individuals of all ages in sport and transforming their lives for the better. As we all know, sport has many benefits from self-confidence/esteem, maintaining healthy body weight, stress, sleep, social connections, depression, and other forms of mental illness. So, at Morrisons we wanted to support BFCCT. We have created a campaign called BOOTSFORBETTERFUTURES, where the public can donate pre-loved kits, boots, and other sports equipment in store by putting them in our donations station located behind the tills, we clean these donations up and distribute them to the Community Trust.
At Morrisons Blackpool we ourselves also donate towards the sessions BFCCT run, through toys for children using them as prizes, sporting equipment, food hampers on request for families who may be struggling, and fruit & water to their popular ‘Kicks’ sessions. Blackpool FC Community Trust covers a wide spectrum when supporting our community from schooling & education, to organised ‘talks’ to decrease isolation, weight management programmes, armed forces programmes and many more. However, I myself imagine a pie chart where Morrisons can help fill a gap for BFCCT, that being; food supplies, and shop floor items, and having a greater, more positive impact on our community.”
For more information about Blackpool FC Community Trust; Follow BFCCT on social media, visit: www.bfcct.co.uk, call 01253 348 691 or email: info@bfcct.co.uk
We hope to see you, your family and friends at a session soon.
