FOCUS ON: INSPIRING PARTNERSHIPS
A partnership that’s a gamechanger
By Leeann Dempster
Chief Executive of Hibernian FC
Great Junction Street lies less than a mile from Easter Road Stadium; Barnton is a few miles further west. But these two parts of the city – one lying within the Hibernian heartland of Leith – are separated by much more than distance… A woman in Great Junction Street will, on average, die 15 years younger than a woman in Barnton. A man in Niddrie, a couple of miles from our home, will enjoy a staggering 21 years less than a man from the New Town. Health inequality, social injustice, lack of opportunity, and postcode prejudice all play their part in maintaining a status quo that no-one finds acceptable, but that our statutory authorities are finding enormously difficult to tackle. GameChanger is an exciting and innovative Public Social Partnership led by NHS Lothian, Hibernian Football Club and the Hibernian Community Foundation, and we are the first Club to be involved in such a partnership. The aim is to unlock the power and passion of football to make greater use of all Hibernian’s physical, emotional, cultural and professional assets, to deliver a better, healthier future for the most vulnerable, disenfranchised or disadvantaged in our communities. Who are we trying to help? Well, amongst others, it means: n The local pensioners, refugee families and homeless folk who enjoyed our free
Christmas lunch, enjoying Christmas cheer, food and conversation with a host of others
income, as opposed to 7.2% in the South East and 13.1% in the city.
n The struggling families and individuals who enjoy our twice monthly lunch clubs, run in partnership with The Cyrenians
Statutory services were already struggling to tackle deep-rooted “sticky” problems and this situation has been exacerbated by the funding crisis faced by our public services. There is a need to find new ways of tackling issues.
n Hundreds of youngsters engaging with the Community Foundation’s ever-growing participation in physical activity through our community football programme, including a big increase in girls and young women n Dozens of adults of all ages, shapes and sizes who take advantage of our free Fit for Life sessions run at the stadium every Tuesday n Hundreds of supporters who’ve benefitted from out matchday health checks n Young diabetes sufferers inspired to manage their condition better through our partnership with NHS Lothian Edinburgh is now divided into four localities to deliver services – with Easter Road in a North East that includes Leith, Craigmillar, Niddrie, Craigentinny, Duddingston and Portobello. The scale of the challenges faced in this most densely populated of Edinburgh’s localities include the highest levels of population – around 5% - suffering from long term illness or disability, compared with just 3% in the neighbouring North West and 3.7% city-wide, and 17.6% suffering deprivation through low
We believe football can be a major driver of positive change. And with Hibernian’s long history of innovation – the first to play under floodlights, the first to wear shirt sponsorship, the first to play in European competition – the Club is scoring another first, this time to benefit its community. Every weekend, 1 in 49 of the nation’s adults pay to go and watch live football in Scotland, a higher proportion than in any other European league. Our newspapers devote more space to football than any other topic. It’s not only our national sport, it’s our national obsession. That means football communicates in a way that no other sport or activity can. Hibernian was established in 1875 to help a people integrate into their community, and to raise funds to help feed and care for the poor of society. GameChanger is a natural reflection of that founding ethos, using the Club’s profile, facilities and appeal to work with committed and knowledgeable partners to deliver positive change.
April/May 2018
BC
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