Lewes FC statement on commitment to community

A statement titled "More than just a football team - Lewes FC in the community" reads, "Eighteen months ago Lewes Football Club brought in Darren Ford to form the Community and Education Scheme at the Club.

"Darren has instigated and developed this side of the club, as it was an important area the club identified and wished to develop with stronger links in the town, schools and the community.

"Darren and his team of Community Coaches who have been working on various initiatives during what has been a busy year for the Scheme and this has been achieved in a relatively short space of time attracting coverage from local and national media.

"The Scheme has worked hard to ensure that all areas of the community are covered and this approach has led to a wide and varied programme being delivered to date, with several new projects currently being developed.

"The Community and Education Scheme has been further developed by Darren with greater links with local organisations and continues to grow with a structured strategic plan in place to ensure that Football, Sport, Exercise and Education are accessible to all throughout the community of Lewes and surrounding areas.

"Work within local schools have been developed and as well as teaching football skills the Scheme has developed initiatives that work on social skills and working together, this has been highlighted in the Fair Play Scheme that teaches children during lunchtimes at school to develop specific skills to ensure that when they play together there is no bullying, cheating or arguments.

"All participants of this scheme who sign up are then rewarded with certificates and so far has proved very popular with pupils, staff and parents.

"Another project, in partnership with the County Councils Reintegration Services Team, allows young people who may be struggling at school to attend and learn about sport, health and exercise. The Kick Start project attracts young people from all over the county and has been so successful that plans for the Community & Education Scheme to achieve accreditation to deliver nationally recognised qualifications are at an advanced stage and will enable those who attend community projects delivered by the Scheme to achieve nationally recognised qualifications.

"Throughout the past year, numbers of children attending and participating within coaching sessions and holiday courses has continued to increase as well as increasing in popularity.

"Children's birthday parties have proven popular as well as the recently held Fun Day that attracted 95 children and enabled them to play on the pitch at the Dripping Pan as well as have their photograph taken with the Blue Square South trophy.

"Largely due to the hard work of the coaches and the understanding of the local community, the Scheme continues to grow and will continue to move forward and support those who access the Community & Education Scheme."