Basildon Council are working together with the West Ham Foundation to grow our joint delivery of projects, to further support and provide opportunities for our borough’s young people.
The West Ham United Foundation are an independent charity that have been running for over 30 years, who seeks to use the power of sport and education to maximise life-chances and inspire better futures for all.
The charity runs a variety of exciting sporting and non-sporting projects in the borough, ranging from football based with the Player Pathway Programme, engaging over 150 5-16 year olds in a range of fun activities on a weekly basis, to the Premier League Inspires scheme, that develops the personal and academic skills of 11-25 year olds and provides them with the support to fulfil their potential.
Chairman of the Housing and Communities Committee, Councillor Kerry Smith, said: “The West Ham Foundation are so much more than just football. Their projects tackle physical and mental health, racism, hate crime, core classroom subjects, and more. They carry out a real broad spectrum of work in the community.
“They work with us and other partners to deliver our School Holidays Programme, supporting over 500 young people and providing more than 1,500 meals alone. And together in the next twelve months the foundation aims to engage an additional 400 young people, offering 1,200 meals to priority children, young people and families.
“From the grant they received from Basildon Council’s £50,000 Mental Health Fund, the charity will deliver 108 hours of structured sessions to 9-11 year old’s across our borough’s primary schools, to raise awareness of the importance of physical and mental wellbeing. This programme will give the young people a safe platform to express their views and support themselves, their peers, and others in the local community.
“And I’m excited about the free, fun activities coming soon in partnership with the foundation and ParkPlay which aims to break down barriers to physical activity and help families get active together through play. This project that will take play across a number of our borough’s parks is certainly something to look forward to this summer.”
Councillors endorsed the existing and planned work being undertaken by the council in partnership with the West Ham Foundation at last night’s (Tuesday 16 March) Housing and Communities Committee. They also endorsed officers seeking the necessary grant funding to deliver the full programme of upcoming projects.
