As AFC Fylde prepare to face Worksop Town on Saturday 11th October, our Champions participants will be in attendance as a reward for their participation over the last year.
In July of this year a group of 11 young lads from Carr Hill High School represented AFC Fylde Community Foundation in the Champions Football Tournament at Accrington Stanley Community Trust Sports Hub.
The Foundation has offered the boys with the opportunity to experience an AFC Fylde matchday for free as a result of their recent behaviour and their contribution to the tournament.
Champions is an innovative programme supporting young people, aged 10-25 with experience of or at risk of offending behaviours. The programme is delivered by nine football club community organisations (CCOs) across Lancashire.
Adopting a trauma informed approach, mentors give their time with genuine interest to create a trusted relationship and innovative approaches which promote personal development, wellbeing gains and consequently reducing their experience of offending and anti-social behaviours.
The programme is confidential and non-judgemental. Mentors don’t work for the police and aren’t involved in criminal proceedings.
The Carr Hill students attended group support sessions which included talks on knife crime and anti-social behaviour whilst also educating them on the dangers of vaping and smoking.
One of our Champions mentors, Gary Smith, said: “The great thing about Champions is that it’s voluntary; the young people we work with actively want our help.
“We aren’t their teachers or their parents – they believe they can open up to us without judgement, as a separate trusted adult, making building a rapport with them that much easier.
“This particular group of lads have been great to work with and I’m very pleased to be able to offer them this opportunity.”
We hope you all have a great time watching the match!
Accrington Stanley Football Club Community Trust, in partnership with the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN), is proud to announce the appointment of first team player, Josh Woods, as the club’s new Champions Ambassador.
The Champions programme works with people aged 10-25 who have been involved in offending behaviours or are at high risk of offending, offering positive role models through mentoring and supportive environments to help them make safer, healthier choices. Ambassadors like Josh provide additional encouragement, guidance, and opportunities for young people involved.
In this role, Josh will interact with clients at the training ground and stadium, support half-term activities such as snooker, darts, and table tennis, and provide more informal support during Champions clients 1:1 sessions at the hub, helping to inspire and connect with those on the programme.
Josh Woods said: “I think sometimes young people don’t always get the opportunity to show who they really are. Where I grew up, I know how lucky I was to have people and places that helped me stay on track. Having the chance to go to safe spaces, play football, and be around good mates kept me out of trouble.”
“A lot of the young people who come to Champions haven’t chosen the circumstances they’re in, and I think they deserve real credit for trying to turn their luck around. It takes courage to say, ‘I want to change,’ and with the support of the Champions staff at the Trust, many of them are now doing just that – making real steps to turn things around.”
“For me personally, football in the community was such an important part of my childhood, giving me somewhere to belong and spend time with friends. To now be in a position where I can give back in some way and hopefully make even a small difference for young people in similar situations, is something I’m really proud to be part of.”
Chief Inspector Gemma Barr, Operational Lead at the LVRN added: “The Champions programme has already shown how powerful it can be in helping young people make positive choices, and having people like Josh on board only adds to that success by giving young people someone they can look up to and relate to.”
The Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN) teamed up with Accrington Stanley Community Trust to host an event focused on raising awareness of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and challenging some of the harmful attitudes that young people can grow up with.
Through the Champions programme, we identified that many young people have been exposed to violence at home, sometimes even towards their mums, and may see it as ‘normal’ behaviour or believe it’s their role to step up as the ‘man of the house’. Sadly, these attitudes can spill over into schools, where girls are often left vulnerable to abuse and unsure where to turn for help.
To tackle this, around 30 young people aged 13-16 from across East Lancashire took part in a day of workshops, activities, and discussions. These sessions gave young men the chance to reflect on their behaviour and language choices, while also supporting young women to understand the signs of abuse and know how to get support.
Annie Scott, Programme Manager of the LVRN Champions Programme, said: “We know that harmful behaviours and attitudes towards women and girls often begin at a young age, influenced by what young people see at home or in their communities. This event gave us the chance to challenge those attitudes in a safe and supportive way, equipping young people with the tools to make positive choices. By working together with schools, partners, and the community, I hope we can help break the cycle of abuse and create safer futures for everyone.”
A huge thank you to all partners involved for making the event a success.
On Friday 15th December, the Mazuma Mobile Stadium was the venue for a powerful knife crime awareness week event. Over 50 young people gathered to hear Byron Highton from the JJ Effect deliver an unforgettable presentation about the devastating impact of knife crime.
Byron shared the tragic story of losing his brother, Jon-Jo to knife crime, blending hard-hitting messages with engaging moments that held everyone’s attention throughout.
The event was hosted by Morecambe FC Community Foundation as part of their engagement work on the Champions programme. The evening was supported by Champions from Morecambe FC Community Foundation, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and Accrington Stanley Community Trust, alongside other local young people. Our Champions mentors played a key role in bringing the day together, ensuring its success and impact.
We were also delighted to see local MP, Lizzi Collinge, and Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw, who joined us to show their support for this important cause.
Serious Violence Sergeant from the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network, Dan Whitaker praised the event, saying: “Events like this are crucial in helping young people understand the real consequences of knife crime. Byron’s story is an important reminder of why we all need to work together to keep our communities safe.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: “Carrying or using knives is completely unacceptable and unnecessarily puts lives life at risk.
“Tackling serious violence will be a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan for Lancashire and I will ensure that Lancashire Police have the tools and resources they need to tackle this issue head on.
“Policing can’t deal with knife crime in isolation and education has a key part to play in reducing the number of people carrying knives. Working with charities like our Football Community Trusts as we are doing through our Violence Reduction Network, is a fantastic opportunity to engage with young people across Lancashire.
“Anything we can do to prevent knife crime is positive for Lancashire and ultimately makes our county safer.”
Above all, a big thank you to the young people who came along and got involved. Your willingness to listen, get involved, and share your thoughts made the event what it was.
In recognition of Sceptre, a national knife crime awareness week, Fleetwood Town Football Club Community Trust hosted an impactful knife crime awareness event, bringing together local schools and some of our Champions participants.
The day was a powerful reminder of the importance of positive choices and community safety, featuring impactful stories from those affected by knife crime.
The highlight of the event was anti-violence campaigner, Alison Cope, who shared her deeply personal story of resilience after losing her son Joshua to knife crime in 2013. Alison has turned her pain into purpose, using her experiences to educate others on the importance of making positive choices, and seeing a future beyond negative experiences.
Alison’s story resonated with all the young people in the room, who listened intently, asked thoughtful questions, and participated actively.
To end the session, our Champions mentors, Gary and Steven, led discussions with the young people around safety and encouraged them to share their reflections on Alison’s story. They discussed ways they could make Fleetwood a safer community.
The event was a reminder of the power of education in preventing knife crime and creating a safer future for everyone. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Alison for coming and sharing her story with us, the students for their engagement, and everyone involved in bringing the day together and helping our young people’s voices be heard.
We are thrilled to announce PNE’s Jack Whatmough has joined the team as one of our Champions ambassadors.
The Champions Programme works to positively impact young people at risk by helping them build self-confidence, resilience, and essential life skills through structured workshops, mentoring, and skill-building activities. Jack’s role will involve connecting with participants, sharing his journey to inspire participants to make positive changes in their lives.
Adam Bolton, Champions Coordinator at PNECET, shared his thoughts on Jack’s role as the Champions Ambassador: “Having Jack on board as our Champions Ambassador brings immense value to our programme. His genuine passion for helping young people and his own experiences make him an ideal role model for our participants.
“Jack’s commitment to our participants and his understanding of the challenges they face will hopefully make a difference, giving them someone they can look up to as they work towards a brighter future.”
Find out more about Champions and Jack’s role here.
A brand-new podcast called ‘Young Preston’ has just launched, and it’s all about the issues that matter to young people across Lancashire. Created by some of the Champions participants from Preston North End Community Trust, this podcast is made by young people, for young people – giving a voice to those who want to discuss topics that are important to them.
The podcast covers a wide range of topics, from music and school life to social issues and everything in between. It’s not just for young people in Preston, but for anyone across Lancashire who wants to hear real stories, honest opinions and fresh perspectives.
The first episode features John, who shares his inspiring journey of turning his life around after spending time in prison. Not, he’s helping others y working with the Preston North End Community Trust to support young people in the community.
In the second episode, PC Ben, a local police officer, talks about what it’s like to work with young people in Lancashire. He shares insights on building trust between the police and youth and discusses the challenges he faces on the job.
Episode three explores how the media often portrays young people negatively and how more positive stories can be highlighted.
This is just the beginning, with more episodes dropping regularly, make sure you tune in to hear directly from young people across Lancashire and join the conversation on topics that matter the most to you.
Listen here.
Preston North End Community and Education Trust is looking to appoint two mentors to join the Champions team.
Working as part of the Champions team, there are currently roles available for a ‘Champions Mentor’ and a ‘Champions Family Mentor’.
Champions Mentor – Vacancy: Champions Mentor – News – Preston North End (pnefc.net)
As a Champions Mentor, you will form part of the team that delivers the innovative intervention programme supporting young people aged 10 – 25 engaging in, or at risk of engaging in, crime and anti-social behaviours.
Champions Family Mentor – Vacancy: Champions Family Mentor – News – Preston North End (pnefc.net)
Working as part of the Champions Team, the Champions Family Mentor will deliver interventions for participants aged 10 to 17 and provide wrap-around support for the family. The Family Mentor will have knowledge of family wellbeing services and links with schools and the Children & Families Wellbeing service in the area.
Due to the nature of the roles, it is key that the successful candidate can act with professionalism, integrity and empathy, as well as having a willingness to learn with a measured and consistent approach at all times.
We love to see our Champions programme in action. 
The team at Accrington Stanley Community Trust have partnered with Clayton Boxing Gym to put on boxing sessions for young people aged 12-16 who are part of the VRN’s Champions programme.
We believe that every child and young person should receive the support they need to access positive opportunities. 
The sessions look at ways to positively channel emotions, as well as building discipline, self-belief, resilience and commitment.
