Stevenage Football Club Foundation is one of 32 Club Community Organisations to secure government funding to help tackle loneliness amongst the older population…
The EFL Trust has secured £810,000 of funding to make onward grants to CCO's in 32 deprived locations across the country, with the aim of connecting more older people at risk of loneliness at a time when the Coronavirus has resulted in many individuals facing prolonged periods of isolation.
A recent study from the Office National Statistics (ONS) showed that 5.0% of people in Great Britain (2.6 million adults) reported that they felt lonely "often" or "always". Of those asked, 30.9% (7.4 million adults) reported their well-being had been affected through their having felt lonely in the past seven days.
The EFL Trust is one of nine organisations who will receive a share of £5 million to reduce loneliness which was pledged as part of the Chancellor’s £750 million support package for charities.
The successful organisations are providing vital support for a wide range of vulnerable people at risk of loneliness at this time, including the elderly, veterans, and people with disabilities and as communities adapt to the easing of lockdown this work has never been more vital.
The additional funding will allow Stevenage Football Club to continue and expand many of its Coronavirus Community Careline services beyond the initial first wave of the pandemic, which has been running for the past three months.
Joe Goude, Stevenage FC Foundation CEO said, “We are delighted to firstly hear that EFL Trust have been successful in their bid to secure funding from DCMS and secondly that Stevenage FC Foundation have been chosen as one of 32 Community Club Organisations (CCOs) to deliver this work in our local community.
“The funding will give us all the opportunity to continue elements of the Coronavirus Community Careline that has been running since March, extending and evolving that support as the needs of our community changes throughout the pandemic and into the winter months.
“The team at Stevenage FC and the Foundation have done some incredible work to date, and to have that backing nationally from the EFL Trust alongside support from other local organisations and partners puts us all in a great position to ensure those that need help during the period, get it.”
For further information on Club’s Coronavirus Community Careline please click here. For more on the funding and the ongoing work to combat loneliness delivered by the EFL Trust and its CCOs, please click here.
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