Member Article

Record year enables Everton in the Community to directly support more than 45,000 people

Everton in the Community has recorded its highest-ever annual revenue, enabling the official charity of Everton Football Club to provide support to more than 45,000 individuals and families over the last 12-months.

The record revenue of more than £5.8m for financial year 2019/20 is the charity’s highest in its 33-year history and is more than 20% up on the same period last year and double that of five years ago.

The charity has continued to deliver its 40+ programmes which focus on a wide range of social issues prevalent across Merseyside such as mental health, education, homelessness, unemployment, poverty and disability, despite the challenges created by Covid-19.

The existing programmes – delivered to more than 15,000 people annually – have moved to virtual delivery and the charity has also been successful in securing more programmes to help more people once the pandemic ends.

Since last March and the start of the pandemic, Everton in the Community and the Club started providing much-needed assistance to struggling families in the wake of lockdown restrictions and increased social isolation.

Under the banner of ‘Blue Family’, support has been provided in the form of food parcels, assistance with utility bills, physical and mental health wellbeing support, the purchase of laptops and other educational resources to more than 28,000 individuals and families - with help continuing to be provided right across the city region.

Richard Kenyon, CEO at Everton in the Community, said: “We set ourselves an ambitious growth strategy three years ago and it is pleasing that we have been able to stay on track with this, despite such challenging circumstances. Through the incredible support of our funders, partners, the football club and our fans, we have been able to maintain all of our programmes, many of which support very vulnerable people.

“We’ve also been able to establish brand new programmes, meaning we can help even more people in the future and drive forward part of our post-pandemic recovery plan.

“From welfare calls to fans from players, Carlo Ancelotti, the Club CEO, and Chairman, to putting food on people’s tables, there’s been some amazing and very important work happening – not least by the Everton in the Community staff who are working tirelessly every day to maintain contact and provide support to those who need it.”

The charity’s growth during 2019/20 has been possible thanks to ongoing support from existing partners including Merseyside Police and the Premier League as well as a new innovative partnership with Steve Morgan Foundation.

Everton in the Community has also secured new funding from The Growth Company, Children in Need, Big Lottery Fund and Howard’s Way investor Phil Brown which will see the charity increase its impact on people’s lives – particularly through the promotion of positive mental health – in the years ahead. Generous donations from Everton supporters together with the Club’s owner and Chairman have also boosted Blue Family resources and enabled the Club and community to provide a lifeline to tens of thousands of people in their time of need.

Looking forward, part of the charity’s post-Covid response will be The People’s Place, a purpose-built mental health facility close to Goodison Park, which received planning permission in spring 2020.

The Spellow Lane-based scheme, which was praised by the Duke of Cambridge during a site visit last year, will provide tailored support to promote positive mental health and deliver vital services relating to suicide awareness and prevention.

Set to offer a range of activities such as exercise, arts and culture, as well as the opportunity for people to connect with other like-minded individuals who may have experienced similar challenges, and the charity hopes work will begin on the site this spring with the centre expected to open in mid-2022.

Kenyon added: “Our success is a true testament to the hard work and talent of my dedicated colleagues, not just in the last 12-months but over many years.

“In the simplest terms, this growth means we can support more people in more ways and that’s what drives us on every single day. Of course, the pandemic has created challenges in delivering some of our programmes but the flexibility of our staff and the incredible support from our funders has meant we have been able to maintain contact with our participants and the wider community and keep making a positive impact.

“The impact of the coronavirus is going to be with us for a long time, but we’ve got plans in place to make sure we play a key role in the recovery across the Liverpool City Region.” 

Key achievements and highlights for Everton in the Community during 2019/20 include:

• Praised by the Duke of Cambridge for taking the lead in tackling the stigma around mental health and going above and beyond with its innovative delivery. • Invited to present at an online Westminster Education Forum about its work in supporting young people who are at risk of developing mental health issues. • Receiving ‘Register of Approved Training Provider Status’ for its Apprenticeship programme. • The appointment of a GP who provides local residents with advice and guidance about leading a healthier lifestyle. Recruiting a GP for the local community and its participants is a first for a Premier League charitable arm with the 12-month GP fellowship has been funded by Health Education England. • The charity’s Impact Model received national and European recognition and held up as a model of best practice by both the Home Office and National College of Policing. The Impact Model expands upon the charity’s early intervention work to reduce the number of ‘at risk’ young people from disengaging in school, becoming NEET or engaging in criminal culture. • Celebrating a decade of delivering play therapy workshops on the wards of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. • Its impactful work recognised on a national level with the charity picking up awards at a number of prestigious ceremonies including the Football Business Awards and North West Football Awards. • The launch of the Premier League funded PL Inspires programme that works across high schools to support the most vulnerable and disengaged young people through a programme of education, mentoring and engagement. • Continuing to operate all programmes virtually while supporting tens of thousands of people – many in crisis – through the pandemic • Receiving planning permission and closing in on its fundraising target for the People’s Place. • Independent research calculating that in a typical year Everton in the Community’s ground-breaking programmes benefit the local community generate a social return of £14.74 for every £1 invested.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Helena Young .