3/1 To Win
Derby County Community Trust were this week awarded the Professional Community Programme of the Year Award, sponsored by the Professional Footballers’ Association, at the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Community Sport and Recreation Awards.
The Trust, which uses Derby County Football Club to improve the lives of the people of Derbyshire through participation in sport, received a cheque for £1,000 at the ceremony hosted by HRH The Earl of Wessex in London.
Running for over 20 years, the Community Sport and Recreation Awards celebrate the work clubs, groups and organisations across the U.K. deliver in their local communities to promote the power of sport and recreation.
Derby County Community Trust works in partnership with Derby City Council to deliver a range of health-related programmes to increase physical activity and improve the health and wellbeing of the local community.
The Trust runs the programme, Active Choices, which is a personalised prevention programme considering a person’s health status, lifestyle and personal preferences providing support in the recovery and community integration of people who use Class A drugs and those misusing alcohol. People taking part in the programme are offered a range of interventions such as free gym memberships at Derby City Council leisure facilities, swimming, boxing, badminton and, of course, football.
Sharon Dale, Health Manager at Derby County Community Trust, commented on the Award: “Winning a Community Sport and Recreation Award means we are able to showcase the amazing work we have done at Derby County Football Club. It gives our programmes a huge amount of credibility and raises our profile, which allows us to share this success with our partners, participants and staff. We are grateful for the prize money and will use it to continue working with local people who need our support in getting active and improving their lives.”
Andrew Moss, Chair of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, said: “Derby County Community Trust and the Active Choices programme provides tangible change to individuals and the local community, through the power of sport and recreation. It’s a great example of how sport and recreation can be used as a tool to improve not just physical but also mental wellbeing.”
In addition to Active Choices, Derby County Community Trust implements several other successful programmes that tackle and reduce inactivity levels in the local area. The Trust focuses on children and young people, as well as the homeless and those at increased risk, and see this work as a preventive measure to manage the health risks of being inactive and substance abuse.
Find out more about Derby County Community Trust by visiting derbycountycommunitytrust.com.
