CEO Dale Spiby is appealing for help after seeing his plans for a community corner go up in flames at Roots Hall.
Southend United Community & Educational Trust had ploughed close to £100,000 into the area of the car park which suffered severe fire damage earlier this week.
But Spiby, the Trust’s chief executive, has launched a JustGiving page in a bid to enable the necessary repairs to take place.
“I want to call on the community and businesses to give to the club, to the town and Trust with this,” said Spiby, who hopes to raise at least £50,000.
“People will look at this being the football club that’s been hurt but in reality it’s the charity that’s been damaged.
“The charity has worked hard before the pandemic and during it to put something in place for the community for after the pandemic but that’s been ruined now.”
Ruined – extensive damage caused by the blaze.
The Trust had already launched seven initiatives in the now ruined area including gym sessions, traineeships and schemes to tackle loneliness and mental health issues.
The corner of the car park was also to act as a fan engagement area on matchdays with live music, gaming stations, wellbeing sessions and birthday packages. But those plans are now back to square one, much to the frustration of Spiby.
“We’ve spent the last two years building a facility that’s equipped to moving us forward after the pandemic, “said Spiby.
“We wanted to use that area seven days a week as a community facility and have something going on there every day.
“We wanted to get local singers in and make it a great area on matchdays for fans to create a good atmosphere too.
“It would make for much better experience for everyone and this is a real blow.
“We estimate we’ve put around £100,000 into the area in the past two years and it was almost ready to go.
“We were about to put the Astroturf down and it was ready so we’re really disappointed.”
Destroyed – the damaged area.
And it was that Astroturf which was at the heart of Monday’s fire which Spiby believes was started deliberately.
“The irony is we think it’s youngsters who have broken into the car park and made a fire but they’ve destroyed a facility that was to stop them being bored and to get them off the streets,” said Spiby.
“We’re determined to get the area back to what it was but it’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of help.
“It any local tradesmen or women were able to lend their help and support that would also be greatly appreciated.”
Therapy For You is a local NHS service for Southend, Castle Point and Rochford. Southend United Community & Educational Trust (SUCET) have combined with the service to offer an exercise-based group at Roots Hall, designed to help people manage and overcome their mental health difficulties. Through regular exercise, the group aims to help people overcome the psychological barriers to physical activity they may be experiencing and introduce exercise at an initially low level.
The session previously ran for five weeks and was shortened to a four-week programme during the pandemic as delivery transferred to online platforms. Thanks to technology, SUCET are still able to reach the local community in the comfort of their households and make a positive, lasting impact on individuals lives.
Data and feedback gained from previous participants showed individuals described the course as beneficial and found the overall experience to be supportive. All participants reported the course enabled them to become more active and work towards their personal goal(s) by challenging and changing unhelpful habits. Other notable benefits were; gained knowledge surrounding their own mental health, and improved physical health, quality of sleep and confidence.
If you think yourself, or anyone you know would benefit from ‘Therapy for You’ please contact Zac Smith on z.smith@southendunited-cet.co.uk or call 01702 341351 for further information.
Today, the English Football League (EFL) will mark its fifth Day of Action, where all 72 Clubs from its three divisions come together to demonstrate the impact that football has in positively changing people’s lives.
Throughout the Day of Action, Club players and managers will join participants in a range of community activities including food bank deliveries, projects to tackle loneliness and mental health, support programmes for refugees and asylum seekers, initiatives for children living in poverty, and disability sports sessions.
Despite the financial and logistical challenges that EFL Clubs have faced during the last 12 months, community work has remained at the heart of football, with Clubs and Club Community Organisations (CCOs) continuing to provide vital support to some of the most vulnerable people living in England and Wales.
The importance of football Clubs to their local communities has never been clearer than in the last year, with millions of people across the nation relying on their local Club for food donations, mental health and wellbeing support and even transport to and from Covid-19 testing and vaccination sites.
Since March 2020, EFL Clubs have collectively distributed over 1.4 million food parcels, more than 179,000 items of PPE, 22,000 prescriptions and donated over 2,100 laptops and tablets to people facing technology poverty. Club staff and their players have had in excess of 527,000 outgoing and incoming conversations with fans and vulnerable people, and over 600 job opportunities are being delivered for young unemployed people.
There is a real need for Clubs to bounce back from the financial implications of the pandemic in order to sustain the delivery of these life-changing community programmes.
Using the power of football, the EFL is able to engage some of the most vulnerable members of society to address important issues in the areas of equalities, diversity and inclusion, education, employment and health and wellbeing. Every season, EFL Clubs and CCOs provide more than half a million hours of group activity and over 40 million hours of participation.
During the Day of Action, players and managers from Clubs in the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two will join staff and participants from their local areas to showcase some of the most impactful projects, including:
Lincoln City’s Alex Palmer will be joined by teammates at a local garden area which is in need of regenerating. Once completed, the project will provide more green space for the local community to use on a daily basis.
Norwich City’s Tim Krul will make a surprise appearance to children attending the Club’s NHS Superhero Soccer Schools which have been set up for children of NHS workers at three local hospitals as a thank you. This project has been funded through £200,000 raised by players and coaching staff to help with the Covid-19 support effort. Over 300 children will benefit from this activity.
Middlesbrough will be delivering its Football Welcomes activity designed to create welcoming communities for refugees and asylum seekers arriving in the local area. Millwall Football Club’s LGBT team wilk take part in a special coaching session hosted by Club Legend, Paul Robinson at The Den.
Preston North End is helping to bring its multi-cultural community together by educating locals about the importance of the festival of Ramadan and supporting those fasting with dates, fresh fruit and water.
Tranmere Rovers will see members of the First-Team squad pay ‘garden gate’ visits to isolated members of the local community to help cheer them up and check-in on their general wellbeing.
Portsmouth will be using its purpose-built learning facility the ‘Blue’s Kitchen’ to deliver its Holiday Cook-a-long course, educating young children about the importance of healthy eating and basics for home cooking.
“The way that our Clubs and CCOs have adapted to deal with the challenges of the past year is remarkable, responding to the growing needs of their communities affected by the pandemic while also continuing to deliver critical life-changing programmes in towns and cities across England and Wales to people who need it most.”
“The EFL Day of Action gives us a platform to step back and take the time to acknowledge the hard work that our Clubs are doing in their communities every day of the year.
“Community work delivered by football Clubs is without a doubt one of the key mechanisms in helping to address important societal issues with the aim of building stronger, healthier, active, more cohesive communities.
“It’s great to see all 72 EFL Clubs, players, managers, staff and participants come together to highlight the power of football in uniting people and working for the greater good.”
Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL
In addition to the Day of Action, the EFL can also reveal the regional winners of this season’s EFL Your Move Community Club of the Year and the divisional winners of the PFA Community Players of the Season. The overall winners will be announced at the EFL Awards on Thursday 29 April.
To celebrate World Book Day, Southend United Community & Educational Trust distribute 200 free books to local primary school pupils.
SUCET staff donating toGlebe Primary School
Southend United Community & Educational Trust (SUCET) have given 200 free, brand new books to four primary schools in their local area to support young readers as part of an exciting partnership between the Premier League and the National Literacy Trust to celebrate World Book Day. In total, nearly 25,000 free books will be given away to children who need them most.
Pupils taking part in the Premier League Primary Stars education programme, delivered by professional football club community organisations across England and Wales, will each receive a free copy of Football School: 20 Fantastic Football Stories. The book, by authors Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton, is also a £1 World Book Day title.
National Literacy Trust research has found that children who have their own books are nearly three times more likely to enjoy reading. The partnership will help support children whose access to physical books has been made difficult due to school and public library closures during the national lockdown.
To further support pupils on World Book Day, the National Literacy Trust will host a fun-filled Premier League Primary Stars Facebook Live event, featuring the authors of the Football School title being distributed, Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton. The one-hour event will include a quiz featuring a special round of questions set by players from the Premier League, the EFL and the Women’s Super League.
“World Book Day promotes reading for pleasure to improve all children’s life chances, and we are so pleased to support the charity behind the initiative. We know that children who have books at home do better in school, so we are delighted to be able to distribute such an incredible number of books to schools across the country with the help of the community organisations. I’d also like to thank our partners at Walker Books and the Morrisons Foundation for making this possible.” “I’m also very excited for the Facebook Live event with Kenzie Benali, Ben Lyttleton and Alex Bellos, three brilliantly energetic personalities who inspire children to get into reading through their love of football.”
Jim Sells, Sport and Literacy Programme Manager at the National Literacy Trust
Following a successful virtual Joy of Moving Home School Festival in the summer of 2020 where over 250,000 children got involved, Southend United Community & Educational Trust is partnering with the EFL Trust and Ferrero to launch a new virtual which will help inspire children to get moving in the toughest months for activity levels.
Research shows that children’s activity levels drop significantly in the winter months compared to the summer months (68 mins in summer vs 48 mins per day in winter)[1]. To help inspire families to get active at home during the winter months, the Joy of Moving ‘Winter Games’ will take families on a Winter Adventure, with an exciting selection of games and activities that they can play at home.
The games, which have been developed in line with the Joy of Moving methodology, are suitable for all abilities and help to encourage children to get moving through play.
Throughout February, the Joy of Moving virtual ‘Winter Games’ will be shared with families and teachers across the country with the help of over 70 EFL Trust Club Community Organisations.
As schools remain closed for many children, the ‘Winter Games’ supports families at a crucial time when it is even more important for children to stay active and to achieve the recommended 60 minutes of activity each day.
“Providing children and families ideas to get active can only have a positive outcome and increase not only their physical appearance but also their mental wellbeing during such a difficult time for all.”
Southend United Football Club
The Joy of Moving programme is an unbranded CSR project by Ferrero. Together with the EFL Trust, the Joy of Moving programme has been supporting children to get active across EFL Communities for over seven years. The Joy of Moving programme is based on methodology which is designed to inspire children to move through play, and in doing so, build up their physical fitness, motor coordination, cognitive functions and creativity and life skills – helping to develop positive habits for adulthood.
In the UK, the programme consists of two in-school elements – the Move & Learn programme and the Joy of Moving Festivals, which have been developed in conjunction with EFL Trust. While these are on pause in line with temporary school closures, we are supporting the communities with access to free, online digital materials via our resource hub.
Keep an eye out for the hashtag #JOMWinterGames on social media for further updates and ways to get involved, and for more fun games to play, visit the online Resource Hub.
Southend United Community & Educational Trust (CET) – the official charity of Southend United is delighted to announce the continued support from Essex and Southend Sports Trust (EASST).
EASST present last season’s £38,000 donation to SUCET trustees and CEO Dale Spiby, in January 2020
The £40,000 donation for winter 2020/21 is set to assist Southend United Community & Educational Trust (SUCET) programmes delivered within the local area.
EASST provides charitable grants within Southend-on-Sea and the wider county of Essex in support of sport and in particular football and cricket.
Since making its first grant in 2003, EASST has been supporting Southend United CET every season. Over this period, they have donated an accumulated total of £413,000 to Southend United CET, providing sporting access for children and young people within South East Essex.
The money this year will go towards supporting the continuation of Children in Need Sport Together, and female specific session delivery. Most notably there will be matched funding for Premier League Kicks, which has so far created a positive impact on community via its virtual delivery throughout the pandemic.
“SUCET’s team is doing a wonderful job supporting the community and keeping the organization alive through such difficult times. They deserve support and the Trustees are pleased to further increase the annual grant to £40,000 for the current season. Dale Spiby has a host of exciting ideas for the future and we are at the early stages of planning a joint EASST/SUCET facility at Blues new Fossetts Farm stadium to accommodate disabled supporters at home matches and for the general use of SUCET on a daily basis.”
Peter Butler, Chairman of EASST
“After what has been the most difficult year for a generation, I am delighted that EASST have not only continued to support SUCET’s programmes, but they have increased their donation for the third consecutive season. The donation will be used to target communities of need, in particular PAN disability and girls and women’s participation in sport across South East Essex”
Dale Spiby, CEO of Southend United Community & Educational Trust
It’s back! Southend United Community & Educational Trust (SUCET) is pleased to announce the re-launch of it’s virtual weight management programme, Football Fans in Training (FFIT).
The 12-week project is targeted at men and women aged between 35-65 with a BMI of 28+ and waist measurements of 38+ (male) and 31+ (female), with the overall aim to empower all participants to make long-term sustainable changes to their lifestyle.
There will be two groups – one for Rochford residents and the other for Castle Point residents with 20 spaces available for each.
The first session will begin on Thursday 25th February 2021 taking place via Zoom.
Split into theory and practical sessions led by SUCET coaches, some of the topics covered include healthy eating, weight loss, goal setting, circuit training, and bodyweight exercises.
To register your interest, please fill in the form below with your details and the Physical Activity questionnaire which you can download here.
Southend United Community & Educational Trust, in partnership with The EFL Trust and Ferrero UK, are delighted to announce that the Joy of Moving Programme will be delivered once again throughout the 2020-21 academic year.
Joy of Moving, Ferrero’s unbranded CSR programme,
has been supporting children across EFL Communities in the UK for the past six
years. The programme consists of two elements – the school-based Move &
Learn programme and the Joy of Moving Festivals, which have been developed in
conjunction with EFL Trust. These programmes are designed to inspire children
to move through play, and in doing so, build up their physical fitness, motor
coordination, cognitive functions and creativity and life skills and develop
positive habits for adulthood.
Through the partnership, Southend
United Community & Educational Trust will continue to support and inspire thousands
of children in South Essex to lead an active and balanced lifestyle.
Never has it been more important to
support children in these unprecedented times. According to a poll of PE
teachers and school leaders by the Youth Sport Trust, 73% of children returned to
school after lockdown with lower fitness levels. In light of the ongoing possibility
for further periods of lockdown and tiers affecting exercise, it is important to
ensure the programme continues to play a part in supporting communities.
This year also saw the launch of the online Resource Hub that hosts a variety of fun games and activities to get children and families moving at home – even Peter Andre and his children got involved in the Joy of Moving programme! Furthermore, as it was recognised that children were unlikely to experience the fun of their school sports day, we hosted the first ever ‘Joy of Moving Home School Festival’ which reached over 250,000 children and families. Mike Evans, Chief Executive at EFL Trust said:
“Children have been one of the hardest hit during this pandemic and the emphasis on the Joy of Moving Programme is even greater to support children, not only physically, but mentally. We are extremely proud of the Joy of Moving Programme and the positive impact it has had during this challenging year. But there is still so much more to do and we are delighted to continue our partnership with Ferrero and through EFL Trust’s network of Club Community Organisations we can continue to deliver a fun educational programme to children and families.”
Mike Evans, Chief Executive at EFL Trust
Charlie Cayton, Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Ferrero UK said;
“We are proud to have been able to deliver our Joy of Moving CSR programme in the UK over the last six years through our long-term partnership with the EFL Trust.Together, we have helped to move over 340,000 children and delivered over one million hours in schools.In these difficult times, we must continue to play our part in the communities in which we are a part of. We remain committed to delivering this fantastic programme to inspire children and families up and down the country to get moving through play.”
Charlie Cayton, Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Ferrero UK
