Wigan Athletic Community Trust - Impact 2020

IMPACT 2020

CONTENTS 3 Aims and Objectives 4 Introduction 6 Improved Health 10 Enhanced Life Chances 14 Stronger, Safer Communities 18 Players in the Community 22 Connecting Communities: Our Response to COVID-19 28 Financial Information 30 Partners 31 How to get involved

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AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Working with Wigan Athletic to: • Improve Health • Enhance Life Chances • Create Stronger, Safer Communities The Community Trust has three priority areas of work: Schools, Community Development and Training and Skills, and aims to: • Increase participation in sport across all levels of society – particularly those from underrepresented groups • Encourage young people and families to lead healthier and more active lifestyles • Improve the skills, aspirations and achievements of young people • Contribute towards increased community cohesion by improving the quality of life for young people and families.

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IMPACT 2020

INTRODUCTION It has been a challenging and unprecedented 12-month period in the history of Wigan Athletic. The club has had to deal with two major off the pitch challenges in the form of the COVID-19 outbreak and then being put into administration in July.

However, its registered charity Wigan Athletic Community Trust has continued to serve the people of Wigan and the surrounding area, further enhancing our reputation for providing critical support to the borough.

Prior to the countrywide lockdown, the Community Trust was enjoying a hugely productive year.

It had reversed a projected £50,000 deficit for the year through new funding from the National Lottery, Sport England and the Ministry of Defence, whilst its refreshed Training and Skills offer was gaining momentum with trainees enjoying work placements across the Wigan Athletic organisation.

In January 2020, the football club’s academy opened a new indoor training facility at Stadium Way next to the club’s DW Stadium and the Community Trust benefitted from widespread access to this facility for its projects. A new football development programme was created to increase access to unrestricted income for the charity, whilst giving more young people the chance to train at the new academy facility.

In March 2020, Wigan Athletic was named EFL North West Community Club of the Year – for the third time in four years – but by the end of that month the country was in lockdown and the Community Trust’s focus turned to responding to new challenges facing our community.

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This report is therefore split into two parts. The first half - although not a full evaluation as it is only based on six months’ activity - looks at our impact in schools, community development and training and skills. The second half of the report looks at how the charity and football club came together to connect communities during the Coronavirus crisis.

From players and management making calls to supporters, to delivering PPE equipment to care homes, to providing free sports coaching to targeted children so they could also be given a free lunch, it was a period when the football club collectively showed its value to the community once again.

Over the summer, many people in the town contacted us to thank us for our support and it was pleasing to see so many comments on social media and in the media about Wigan Athletic being a community club. The pride that our supporters have in our Community Trust gives great satisfaction to myself, the Board of Trustees and the staff within the Trust, who continue to innovate to provide support to the borough in this challenging period.

Our key aim is to work with Wigan Athletic to improve health, enhance life chances and create stronger, safer communities and that commitment will not change as we look to the future and how we can help to revive our community in 2021.

Tom Flower Head of Community December 2020

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IMPROVED HEALTH Between September 2019 and March 2020 117 under 4’s were helped to become more school ready 4,266 pupils received high quality PE coaching and took part in PSHE activities 2,312 pupils took part in extra curriculum sports activities 972 young people took part in health workshops 23 men lost 16 stone between them as part of the Fit Latics scheme 431 men took part in the men’s weight management programme 78% of men achieved their target of losing 5% or more of their starting weight 78 residents joined the Extra Time programme for over 55’s 22 armed forces veterans engaged in weekly football and sports activities

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An important part of Wigan Athletic Community Trust’s delivery is to ensure both young people and adults are encouraged to think about maintaining positive physical and mental wellbeing, whilst challenging negative health behaviours to ensure people in our community lead an active lifestyle.

Through the delivery of high-quality PE and PSHE lessons, thousands of young people are being encouraged to improve their knowledge of physical activity, enjoying an active lifestyle and improving their diet through the Premier League Primary Stars programme.

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IMPROVED HEALTH

“I have a lot more

energy and a lot more enthusiasm when it comes to exercise.

ANTONY BIGGS Fit Latics participant

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Alongside running weekly programmes engaging with older adults at risk of social isolation and sessions for the armed forces community, tackling men’s weight is another way in which the Community Trust is challenging and supporting people in the Wigan borough to think about improving their health.

Two people who have benefited from one of the programmes are father and son – Tony, 54, and Antony Biggs, 29 – who signed up to Wigan Athletic Community Trust’s Fit Latics programme at the beginning of the year after both struggling to find motivation to lose weight. Having put too much pressure on himself to see immediate results when trying to lose weight independently, Wigan Athletic fan Antony suggested to his Dad that they should tackle their weight loss together through the programme.

Thanks to the backing and support of Wigan Council, Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles, EFL Trust, Sport England and the National Lottery, we have been able to continue to support hundreds of men like Tony and Antony to become more active. The programme has seen local men lose over 22 stone.

Sessions - which had been running at the DW Stadium - have seen participants enjoy numerous physical activities including jogging around the pitch, running up and down stadium stairs and circuit training in the concourse area. Nutritional advice has also been provided through a number of workshops in the changing rooms, focusing on enjoying a balanced diet.

After completing the 12-week initiative, the pair lost a combined weight of 16.3kg with grandfather, Tony, 54, using the inspiration of spending time with his granddaughters to make positive life changes.

weight loss in my own time. I’ve cut down on takeaways and I’ve got better at planning my meals, eating healthier and also maintaining exercise.”

For Antony, who lost 8% of his original bodyweight on the programme, the involvement of his hometown club gave him that extra motivation to do well and make positive changes that he is now benefitting from in his day to day life.

“In general, I feel I have a lot more energy and a lot more enthusiasm when it comes to exercise. I have recently taken on a new job that is much more physically demanding but I am able to keep up a lot more than I would have been able to beforehand.

“Training at the DW Stadium was special as it’s the home of my club, but also knowing there would be a group of likeminded guys having the same issues as me and wanting to achieve similar goals made me want to get involved.

“For me having my Dad there gave me added motivation for us to both keep going. We’ve both had problems in the past committing to lose weight and Fit Latics gave us something to keep us focused on our goals. I’ve been eating healthier and I am more motivated to exercise. It was easier to make the small changes I needed to, rather than trying to make big changes in one go.”

After sessions were suspended following the outbreak of COVID-19, staff adapted to provide different methods of keeping in touch and supporting participants to ensure progress continued to be made – something Antony was grateful for.

“I’d told my son [Antony] that I needed to do something to improve my health so that I could be around for my granddaughters and this was when he suggested we signed up to Fit Latics.

“The coaches have been amazing helping us keep in the right frame of mind to make progress. Even during lockdown when sessions didn’t run, they were always available to ask for advice and were very accommodating if an exercise was too hard on an injury.

“The guys on the course with me were great. I looked forward to the sessions and I was motivated to continue with my

“I’m now feeling fitter and the weight loss has certainly given me more confidence in myself.”

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ENHANCED LIFE CHANCES Between September 2019 and March 2020 138 secondary school students received mentoring support 81 young people gained a new qualification 2,300 students took part in life skills workshops 29 young people took part in the NCS programme in October 2019 6 young people completed a Level 3 Apprenticeship in PE and Sport – 100% went onto higher education or gained employment 62.5% of post 16 students gained a Level 2 qualification 5 students gained a degree in BSc Hons Football Coaching Development and Administration 70% of unemployed trainees went on to gain employment or education

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Proud father, Darren Sephton says his son Evan is fulfilling a lifelong dream thanks to the hard work and opportunities offered to him by Wigan Athletic Community Trust.

“Being involved with Wigan Athletic Community Trust has been life changing for him. It changed his life and continues to change his life. The things he has done since, he would never have been able to do them without the involvement of the Community Trust. It would never have been possible for him.”

For 16-year-old Evan, the thought of combining his passion of coaching and his love of Wigan Athletic felt a long way off when he was diagnosed with Dyspraxia.

Evan’s condition - which affects coordination, balance and fine motor skills - has not stopped him from chasing his dream of becoming a coach with the club he has adored all of his life.

His first involvement with Wigan Athletic Community Trust was through the Premier League Kicks disability session at the age of 14. Evan also represented Latics in the Greater Manchester Ability Counts League thanks to the Every Player Counts programme - an initiative that enhances the lives of youngsters with disabilities, by offering them the chance to take part and play more football and sport.

“ EVAN SEPHTON Level 2 participant

I feel good about what I have achieved in life so far. For me, the next chapter is going on to do some football coaching with schools and help young kids with disabilities. I want to inspire them going forwards and to tell them it is possible to participate in sport.

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ENHANCED LIFE CHANCES Joe Pym, who worked with Evan on the Every Player Counts programme as the Community Trust’s Disability Football Officer back in 2017, says he has been impressed by Evan’s development.

“Evan has made remarkable progress from when I first met him on the Every Player Counts programme. His determination to take part in sport despite living with his disability has been brilliant and it’s great to see him now with increased confidence, taking part in mainstream sport and working towards his ambition of becoming a sports coach.”

Evan has continued his journey with Latics by joining the Level 2 Football and Education programme, where - along with 15 other learners - he will gain industry-recognised qualifications to help begin a career in sports and coaching.

For Darren, there was a worry his son may have become ‘shut off and isolated’ from taking part in sport, but looking back at the first time the Trust made contact he says he is extremely grateful and believes it has truly changed Evan’s life.

“Becoming part of Wigan Athletic Community Trust - whether through Kicks or Every Player Counts - it gave Evan that feeling

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of inclusivity and being part of a team with his peers and similar people with disabilities,” Darren said. “It was fantastic for Evan because he could be a part of something inclusive. It wasn’t all about winning, it wasn’t about winning trophies, it was about taking part and having fun and enjoyment. That was the key ethos and drive for the Community Trust in respect of playing sport.”

He added: “That ability to play competitive sport was massive for Evan - life changing for him - because if he had not had that opportunity as a young person with Dyspraxia he could have potentially become shut off from life and isolated. When you see him now and the journey he has been on he is completely the opposite of that.

“The initial move of the Trust and being involved with them was life changing for him. It changed his life and continues to change his life. He would never have been able to do some of the things he’s done so far without the involvement of the Community Trust. It would never have been possible for him.”

As part of the programme, which is run in partnership with Wigan & Leigh College, learners can represent Wigan Athletic in the Community and Education Football Alliance league, playing

competitive games against other clubs in the North West – something Evan is extremely proud to do.

“It’s a dream come true. It feels amazing to represent the club I support; I feel part of the team playing competitive games, having to work together to all try our best, it’s great,” said Evan.

“I feel good about what I have achieved in life so far. For me, the next chapter is going on to do some football coaching with schools and help young kids with disabilities. I want to inspire them going forwards and to tell them it is possible to participate in sport.”

From securing work placements at local businesses and providing help in finding the next step in their career, to providing one to one mentoring and support to hundreds of youngsters who have a low commitment to school or supporting those who wish to begin a career in the sports industry, the Community Trust are committed to providing young people like Evan with a greater chance in life through its educational opportunities.

Darren, who alongside Evan has followed Latics home and away throughout his life, says the club he supports has played, and will always play, a huge part in his family’s life.

“As a community club, they get it right every time. Everything about it is amazing and fantastic. It’s what you’d hope it could be.

As a family it has given us so much and we owe so much. For me there is a family and community feel and ethos about it and there is nothing better.

“We couldn’t have asked for more from the Trust. The whole club is unique and has a special vibe about it and a special place in the community’s life and heart. I don’t think other clubs have that.

“As parents of a young person with a disability it has been life changing and we’ve been given something we could never have expected even in our wildest dreams.

“Without Wigan Athletic Community Trust, it wouldn’t be the same story for us. It’s the greatest accolade you can give when you’re talking about changing people’s lives and the impact that the Trust and club can have on people’s lives. Evan sits here today as a young person with a disability who is fulfilling his dream.”

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STRONGER, SAFER COMMUNITIES Between September 2019 and March 2020: 938 young people took part in evening and weekend sports activities 270 hours of social action and volunteering were delivered by young people 133 targeted young people received support, with an average contact time of 26 hours 42 issue based workshops were delivered to targeted young people 97 young people engaged through outreach and detached activities

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As the official charity of Wigan Athletic Football Club, Wigan Athletic Community Trust recognises the value of the badge it represents and the introduction it gives to help reconnect young people into positive activities in their own communities.

Since September 2019, we have been working with Wigan Council, Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles and Wigan Warriors Community Foundation within a number of local communities to reduce anti-social behaviour by reaching out to young people through the Youth Intervention Project.

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STRONGER, SAFER COMMUNITIES The innovative project engaged with 133 youngsters aged between 12 and 19 over 12 months in three areas of the borough: Ince, Marsh Green and Leigh. Through working in partnership with key stakeholders including Wigan Council and Greater Manchester Police, the Community Trust were able to recognise the key issues within the communities and offer weekly sessions providing relevant activities, workshops and one to one mentoring in a safe and supportive environment, to keep youngsters off the streets and out of trouble.

Following an independent report on the effect of the project, 59% of local residents said they felt that anti-social behaviour had improved following the introduction of the project with one resident saying they can see the benefits within their community already. “We’ve seen environmental crimes go down and we’ve seen people just feel a little bit safer in their area and they’re not afraid to walk up and down the street. A lot of people feel a bit of anxiety has left the area at the moment.”

One young person who has benefitted from the programme is 14-year old Kelsey. Having been twice excluded from school and also involved with the police due to her behaviour, she believes the introduction of the project provided a positive distraction to keep her and other young people away from causing trouble.

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“Before the sessions started, we would normally hang around Leigh town centre or the bus station at night and just mess around and take the ‘mick’ out of people. I went to St Mary’s High School where I was kicked out at the start of Year 8 because they couldn’t control my behaviour. But when the sessions started on a Monday night it gave us something to do and we’re not out causing trouble. They have got me off the streets and stopped me getting involved with the police.

“We were able to just come and chill, have something to eat and play games. We were able to do what we wanted as along as we abided by the rules. The staff from Wigan Athletic respected us so we respected them back, where on the streets people wouldn’t show us any respect because we were causing trouble.”

Like Kelsey, 13-year old Kyle has also appreciated the presence of Latics in his community with the youngster enjoying the activities and workshops on offer.

“In Westleigh, there isn’t normally much going on for young people which would mean people would go out and cause trouble. But being able to come on a Monday made it more fun; we were able to come and hang out with our friends and play pool and Xbox but also take part in different workshops. I have built up my confidence, made new friends and I can do more things now instead of backing off and not doing them.”

The involvement within the project has seen Kyle go on to take advantage of free Premier League Kicks football sessions in his local area. His participation also saw him presented with further opportunities including representing Latics in an organised fixture against Stoke City prior to the Championship game between the clubs last November - a match he went on to watch with his peers.

“Through Premier League Kicks, we travelled to play a fixture against Stoke City which was a great opportunity as things like this where I’m from in Westleigh don’t happen. It isn’t a popular place for football really so it was great to go and play football and then watch the game with some of my friends.”

The Community Trust’s Premier League Kicks programme has provided over 900 young people aged 8 to 18 with the chance to enjoy free football and sport between September 2019 and March 2020. Working with young people and local authorities, sessions offer free access to sport and workshops including topics on equality, inclusion, youth violence and knife crime.

With the aim of creating a safer, more inclusive community, police officer Andy Parkinson - who has worked for the police force in a neighbourhood role for the past 19 years - believes the Trust’s Kicks programme is having the ideal effect across the borough.

“From a police point of view, Kicks is a massive opportunity in the community, certainly from a young person’s point of view to get involved in those activities. It’s a good chance for the young people to engage with Wigan Athletic Community Trust and the Kicks team to try and reduce the anti-social behaviour. For Wigan Athletic to be involved in the community, it allows the young people to be engaged and get involved in other opportunities, whether it’s coaching or gaining other qualifications. Some of the young people engaged might be struggling at school but with Kicks they can see it as an opportunity to progress.

“On the other hand, for the people reporting the anti-social behaviour and the victims of it, they can see that we are working with Wigan Athletic to sort and reduce these problems and create a safer community.”

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PLAYERS IN THE COMMUNITY An integral feature of our community activities is the number of visits our players make to our wide-ranging programmes to offer their support and connect further with the club’s supporters and the local community.

The club’s first team players attend events on a weekly basis throughout the season and they have been joined on many occasions by the club’s U23 and U18 players, who have also visited events individually as part of their development through the club’s scholarship programme.

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From helping and encouraging young people with social action projects through the Premier League Inspires programme, to coaching and meeting youngsters at Latics’ holiday camps, the involvement of the football club’s young stars in the Trust’s community activities has supported them with their development through the use of personal, social and life skills.

“We see the opportunity for our young footballers to have involvement in the activities of Wigan Athletic Community Trust as integral to their development,” Wigan Athletic’s Head of Academy, Gregor Rioch explained.

“We take great pride in creating a positive environment and good culture across our football club and it is important we all display humility in the roles that we are proud to undertake for the club - and also as representatives of Wigan.

“We know from conversations with our players that they benefit from the visits and enjoy the opportunity to communicate with different sectors of our community.

“Some of our players have been involved in the Community Trust’s programmes through their school curriculum - whether that be prior to joining us or during their time with us - whilst

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others have come from outside of Wigan and continued to have involvement with the Trust after their time with us.

“We are very proud of the work of Wigan Athletic Community Trust and the cohesive approach we have to improving health, enhancing life chances and creating stronger, safer communities in Wigan.”

The club’s first team players used their initiative to support Wigan during the COVID-19 outbreak, with defender Danny Fox spearheading a campaign to encourage supporters to follow in his footsteps by donating money to purchase PPE for people in Wigan. In line with COVID-19 restrictions Danny delivered in his local area in Cheshire, whilst thousands of masks were sent to the Community Trust base for distribution to local facilities by the Trust’s staff.

Speaking at the time, Danny said: “It’s well-publicised that there are challenges across the country in terms of getting PPE to all of the key workers who need it during this crisis. My friend [former footballer Dexter Blackstock] is in a position where he has the connections to get supplies through his business, so we are trying to help as many

people as possible. I have been out to care homes and hospices in my local area to deliver protective masks to carers and it’s so humbling to see staff there doing their best for the patients in difficult circumstances.

“I know it’s a challenging time for everyone, so far be it from me to ask all of our supporters to make donations, but if anyone can donate as little as £1 then we can get the Community Trust out and about delivering a substantial number of masks around the Wigan borough.”

Latics’ first team players have been involved in the majority of the Trust’s projects throughout the year; ranging from offering nutritional advice to participants working towards an active lifestyle to sharing their life experiences through virtual lessons with pupils.

Defender Chey Dunkley joined a virtual Premier League Primary Stars lesson on diversity with pupils from St Andrew’s Primary School in Wigan earlier this year, with a primary focus on diversity and how it can be celebrated within sports teams.

Chey answered questions from the pupils and shared his own experiences.

“It’s massively important to have lessons like this and I was more than comfortable speaking to the kids about it, it was a good session to be involved in,” Chey explained.

“I think equality and diversity should be discussed because when I was at school it wasn’t as openly debated and the more we can learn about diversity and different cultures, it can help us come together as a human race.

“The more we learn about each other’s cultures will allow us to understand and be able to live amongst each other easily and it will be better for the future if children learn more about diversity and culture, especially at a young age.”

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We know from conversations with our players that they benefit from the visits and enjoy the opportunity to communicate with different sectors of our community.

Gregor Rioch, Head of Academy,

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CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

OUR RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS

On Friday 20th March 2020, Wigan Athletic Community Trust suspended all of its activities as a result of COVID-19 and the enforced lockdown across the country. Although we placed a number of staff on furlough, the trustees were determined that the charity should contribute to the response of the national crisis and continue its vital work.

By the following week, Community Trust staff were asking what they could do to help – this was their response:

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V olunteered 820 hours of support to Wigan Council with deliveries to connect families to local charities Made 742 deliveries to different households ade 207 deliveries of food to Services Delivery Footprint hubs and M other organisations ade 46 deliveries of PPE equipment including 3,000 facemasks paid M for by players, supporters and staff C alled over 1,660 people over the age of 55 at risk of social isolation, including those from the armed forces community Delivered 228 goody bags to older people Distributed 1,000 sports and education packs to children aged 3 – 11 Made 21 garden gate visits/talks with people at risk of social isolation ith the support of the National Lottery Fund, provided 210 hours of W coaching and support to looked after children at Wigan Youth Zone U sed £25,000 of funding from the Premier League Charitable Fund to provide 720 hours of coaching and support to vulnerable and at risk young people in partnership with Wigan Council at 11 different venues across the Borough during the school holidays A ttracted £75,000 from the National Lottery Fund and DCMS for a new project to tackle social isolation

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TACKLING LONELINESS: TERESA DEXTER For Teresa Dexter, the experience of living alone during the pandemic was made easier thanks to the support of her local football club. A retired care worker, Teresa is a member of the Community Trust’s Extra Time Hub, which provides weekly opportunities for residents over the age of 55 to get together in an informal and social gathering.

Following the postponement of sessions, the thought of being unable to see staff and the friends she had made was one she dreaded, but the weekly meetings were quickly replaced by a virtual coffee morning, which enabled Teresa to stay connected to her friends.

“The reason I came to Extra Time was isolation and loneliness,” Teresa said. “Since being a member, it’s helped my mental health because as you get older there aren’t as many things available to do. I found I was always looking for groups where I could feel comfortable. I’ve tried several and felt I didn’t fit in because some days I was too quiet and found it difficult to speak to people either through anxiety or depression.

“If you suffer from these kind of mental health problems, sometimes you tend to isolate yourself because you don’t want to go out and face people.

“It was nice to go into a place where there were lots of people of my age. Some with similar problems to me. It made me feel safe and accepted. People at Extra Time don’t ask questions and they take you as you are that day, which is nice.”

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Wigan Athletic Community Trust have ensured that those most vulnerable have been supported with phone calls and household food deliveries to older supporters and residents.

The Community Trust have also been providing a number of other services through the Tackling Loneliness Together project, a programme supported by the EFL Trust and DCMS to tackle loneliness amongst older people.

Garden gate visits, socially distanced walking groups and the delivery of goody bags have helped people maintain their connection with the community during these uncertain times.

“The support during lockdown has been very, very welcome with the visits and phone calls. It was nice as I live alone and we obviously haven’t been able to see much of our families,” Teresa added. “It was nice to know someone was coming and that someone cared enough to come and chat or phone just for ten minutes. For me it was something to look forward to.”

“It was nice to know someone was coming and that someone cared enough to come and chat or phone just for ten minutes.

For me it was something to look forward to.

TERESA DEXTER Extra Time participant

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Photograph taken before the COVID-19 pandemic

VIRTUAL LESSONS: ST ANDREWS PRIMARY SCHOOL In a regular week, the Community Trust would deliver over 190 sessions in Wigan schools. So when schools were forced to close in March, Community Trust staff had to find new ways to support students and teachers at its partner schools.

This included staff producing weekly video exercises via social media for pupils to do at home, and providing pupils of key workers with virtual lessons in the classroom.

Working with the Community Trust since 2009, St Andrew’s Primary School were one school that benefitted from the virtual offer, with a number of PSHE lessons delivered online covering topics on plastic pollution, self-esteem, resilience, healthy eating and diversity.

PE Coordinator Phil Sharkey continues to be a passionate supporter of the work of the Community Trust and is a strong believer in its impact.

“The staff at Wigan Athletic Community Trust have provided us with constant support during the pandemic and the virtual lessons have had a real benefit to the children during what have been difficult times for everyone,” Mr. Sharkey said. “The virtual lessons are a great way to stay connected to the coaches on the Premier League Primary Stars programme.”

One notable lesson delivered to the school included talking about diversity and racism in football, with former Latics defender Chey Dunkley making a special guest appearance via Zoom offering pupils the chance to listen to and ask him questions on his experiences and thoughts on the subject.

“The lesson with Chey was fantastic and we really want to pass on our thanks to him for the time, patience and willingness he showed to share his valuable experiences and views on diversity and racism within football. The whole lesson was brilliant and really thought provoking; it allowed us to go on and have some wonderful dialogue about diversity with the children,” Mr. Sharkey explained.

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SPORT AT 5: VIRTUAL KICKS Every year since 2007, thousands of young people have benefited from free football and sports session during evenings and at weekends through Wigan Athletic’s Kicks project. But the Community Trust was forced to stop delivering the Premier League programme when lockdown began in March.

Amongst the personalities who took part in Sport at 5 were Wigan Athletic’s FA Cup winning captain Emmerson Boyce, former British Olympian Jenny Meadows and former Latics players Joe Gelhardt and Joe Williams with over 1,500 people viewing the show each week.

For only child Michael Hill, the postponement of his Kicks session in March meant he was presented with the boredom of kicking a ball against a wall at home instead. Michael, 14, has regularly attended sessions ran by staff from Wigan Athletic Community Trust at Wigan Youth Zone over the past three years.

Michael’s Mum, Lisa, credits Kicks for helping him get through lockdown and for supporting his development and behaviour in general.

He said: “I didn’t like it when Kicks got cancelled because of lockdown. I look forward to them and playing football with my mates. I missed the coaches and I was upset about the whole thing because it’s part of my hobbies.

In order to stay connected to its participants, staff from the Kicks project established a weekly live Facebook sports chat show, which gave them the chance to interact with the young people and also interview a range of different personalities associated with Wigan Athletic and Michael quickly got involved.

“Being involved with Sport at 5 during lockdown was a great experience and privilege as I have never been involved in something like that before,” Michael said. “I was on with a Stoke City fan previewing the game and it gave me a great opportunity to also see what their Community Trust had been doing during lockdown whilst sessions weren’t running. It was interesting to see they were also doing similar things to what we had been doing. It’s great that the club are involved in the community providing these programmes to young people like myself and they do a very good job as well to keep us engaged.”

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She said: “I am a single parent and Michael hasn’t got any siblings at home, it’s normally just myself and Michael. Over the years the more he has been involved, the more friendships he has made; meeting other young people from different schools. He is a different child in terms of his behaviour, it’s quite different to what it was from three or four years ago and that is down to the influence of the staff he has been involved with.

“When he was asked to be part of Sport at 5, I think I was more excited than him! The school knew about it, the neighbour did and he had family members watching. My Mum was at work and stopped what she was doing to watch.

“As a promotion for the programme it was a great thing to do.

He has really enjoyed the return back to sessions after lockdown as well.”

“It’s great that the club are involved in the community providing these programmes to young people like myself and they do a very good job as well to keep us engaged.

MICHAEL HILL Kicks participant

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FINANCIAL INFORMATION The effect of COVID-19 not only affected Wigan Athletic Community Trust’s ability to fully deliver its programmes in 2019/20, it also had a huge impact on the charity’s finances.

With schools and leisure centres closed from April 2020, it meant that a number of initiatives were placed on hold during the year, which resulted in a loss of income of £295,303 between March and August.

Trustees took the decision to place a number of staff on furlough between April and July and the job retention scheme helped to reduce the impact of some of these losses during the challenging period.

The Community Trust was also very grateful to the ongoing support of all its funding partners who continued to support the charity during lockdown – in particular the Premier League Charitable Fund and the EFL Trust.

It was also able to secure additional funding from long term partners Wigan Council, Sport England and the National Lottery Fund to help with its community response to COVID-19 and new investment from the DCMS via the EFL Trust to run a new project around social isolation.

This additional funding and other savings meant the Community Trust managed to end the 2019/20 financial year with only a small deficit of £50.*

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Income for the full year was £1,171,860 while expenditure for the period was £1,171,910. This meant that the charity has been able to continue to maintain positive levels of reserves, which will help it to continue to survive while the impact of COVID-19 is still felt in future years.

For more information about the Community Trust’s financial history, please visit the Charities Commission website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission *All financial information relates to accounts before they were audited, which is scheduled to take place in January 2021.

WIGAN ATHLETIC COMMUNITY TRUST: BOARD OF TRUSTEES • Phillip Williams (Chairman) • Jonathan Jackson (Company Secretary, Director, Wigan Athletic) • Councillor David Molyneux (Leader, Wigan Council) • Philip Ivory (Headteacher, St Georges Primary School) • Cath Robinson (Wigan School Games Organiser) • Jenny Meadows (Retired professional athletic, World and European medallist) • Emmerson Boyce (Former Wigan Athletic player and captain) • Clare Evans (Chief Executive, 4CT)

INCOME 2019/20

Premier League EFL Trust

EXPENDITURE 2019/20

£395,000 34%

Delivery staff

£920,210 79%

£35,000 3%

Travel expenses

Schools Services and Football Activities

£130,742

Overheads

£61,367 5%

Training and Skills

£109,430 9%

Kit and equipment

£23,784 2%

NCS

£163,600 14%

Facilities and activities

£51,037 4%

Other Grants

£313,142 27%

Training and accreditation

£9,706 1%

Sponsorship/Fundraising

£24,996 2%

Other

£71,642 6%

£1,171,910 100%

Total

£1,171,860 100%

Total

11%

£34,114 3%

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OUR PARTNERS

OFFICIAL SUPPORTERS CLUB

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HOW TO GET INVOLVED For more information about the work of Wigan Athletic Community Trust and to find out how you could support us to continue to make a difference to the lives of thousands of people in Wigan, please contact: Tom Flower Head of Community 01942 318 090 t.flower@wiganathletic.com Wigan Athletic Community Trust Montrose Skills Hub Montrose Avenue Wigan WN5 9XN wiganathletic.com/community Twitter: @LaticsCommunity

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Wigan Athletic Community Trust Montrose Skills Hub, Montrose Avenue, Pemberton, Wigan, WN5 9XN Call: 01942 318090  Email: community@wiganathletic.com wiganathletic.com

@LaticsCommunity

Registered Charity Number 1120745