School Pupils to Write Letters to Elderly Brentford Fans
Different generations to share their experiences of lockdown
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During Loneliness Awareness Week, local primary school pupils are being encouraged to write letters of support and solidarity to elderly or vulnerable Brentford fans who might be self-isolating.
Brentford FC Community Sports Trust’s Connecting Generations initiative aims to improve pupils’ literacy while simultaneously supporting older supporters of the club who might be feeling socially isolated. To sign up for the initiative click here.
There are an estimated 2.2 million elderly or vulnerable people currently shielding in the UK against Covid-19.
The scheme is in partnership with the Premier League’s Primary Stars project, which normally delivers P.E and PSHE lessons to a number of schools across west London. Now, with the backing of footballing legends Michael Owen and Dion Dublin, this initiative is aimed at unlocking hundreds of pupils’ creative potential.
Calum McHardy, the Premier League’s Primary Stars Coordinator at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, said, “I hope that different generations of the Bees community are able to share their experiences of the COVID-19 lockdown with one another. The importance of communicating and being connected with somebody during this time of adversity is massively important for everyone’s mental wellbeing.”
Cliff Crown, Chairman of Brentford FC, said, “A number of us on the Board as well as our CEO Jon Varney, have been in touch by telephone with our older fans during the past few months. We have had some great conversations with them, listening to their memories and stories and we all really enjoyed it. I am delighted to see this initiative from our Community Sports Trust that will link young and old fans, it is a great idea and will benefit all.
“This is the latest great piece of work carried out by our Trust over the past three months. It has been a challenging time for all of us and the staff at the Trust, supported by our players and others, have really helped in the local area. It makes me proud, as Chairman, to see how we have been able to help people at this extraordinarily difficult time for us all.”
During the government lockdown, Brentford FC’s award-winning charity has been supporting hundreds of adults and children through online activities including chair-based exercise classes for older people self-isolating.
The Trust recently launched a new #BeeWell campaign with Brentford FC stadium builders EcoWorld, which aims to support children and adults with their physical and mental wellbeing.
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June 17, 2020
