Blackpool FC Community Trust column: Continuing our work in schools and the community

The reason I raise this again is we have now started our 10th season of delivering this programme which, nine years ago when I co-ordinated the implementation of it, my daughter Scarlett was not even born.

She is now taking part in the programme with her classmates at Norbreck Academy on Thursdays and started her involvement on my youngest daughter’s first birthday on September 17.

This is a programme I’m extremely proud to see delivered – and which has evolved to become a strategic influencer and key contributor to reducing childhood obesity in Blackpool.

It’s very rare in our area of work to have a project funded for 10 years, so we owe a great deal of gratitude to our partners for helping us to work with more than 13,000 children so far.

We also restart our Walking Football programme at PlayFootball this Monday, September 28.

It’s been great to consult with the BFC Senior Seasiders group to put appropriate plans and procedures in place.

We have to ask everyone wanting to take part to follow the booking guidance we have had to implement.

We cannot accept walk-ups on the day of sessions for safety reasons and to make sure we follow FA guidance.

The government restrictions have taken up a large amount of time in understanding how they affect us.

On the whole, they don’t too much. We can continue all our great work, but ask all participants to remain conscious and safe when taking part and staff will make sure facilities and provision are Covid-19 safe.

We have also had to make some adjustments to some of our staff’s usual working week and ask a number to spend their usual planning, marking and preparation time away from the office spaces and work from home.

The teams have been really disappointed to have to do this, but understand the importance of doing so.

This week is the Great British Week of Sport which aims to inspire the nation to celebrate the power of sport, focusing on the positive effect it has on our mental, physical and social wellbeing.

Blackpool FC Community Trust is a local charity providing health, education, sporting and employment opportunities for all people in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre.

During lockdown we continued to support our community by taking activities online and running virtual sessions, delivering more than 520 food parcels and making more than 640 welfare calls to Blackpool residents, as well as maintaining delivery where possible.

We are now able to open up more and offer increased face-to-face sessions as well as continue with the virtual ones.

We have recently welcomed our Blackpool FC Sports College students back to full-time education and a new cohort of trainees have started the traineeship.

Fit Blackpool has also recommenced with local people taking part in regular exercise and sessions discussing healthy lifestyles, in addition to a number of other provisions.

Sport really does have a huge impact on our local community and we are proud to be able to support you through opportunities.

For more information on Blackpool FC Community Trust, call 01253 348 691, visit www.BFCCT.co.uk or follow BFCCT on social media.