Accrington Stanley launch community cohesion workshops with visit to St Christopher's

Accrington Stanley visited St Christopher's CE High School on Wednesday 12thFebruary, as they launched their brand-new community cohesion workshops.

The aim of the project is to connect with Year 8 students in all secondary schools in Hyndburn through a shared experience of football to prevent and counter harmful narratives.

The workshops are designed to give participants a feeling of pride in the local area, and let them know that Accrington Stanley is a great club to visit.

 Supported by a Community Cohesion and Resilience Funding Grant from Hyndburn Borough Council, Accrington Stanley will be visiting a number of schools in the coming weeks.

 The club's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer (EDI Officer) Robert Houseman, Accrington Stanley Community Trust Sport Tutor Kasom Shah and deputy leader of Hyndburn Borough Council Cllr Noordad Aziz spoke at the workshop at St Christopher's, facilitated and led by Murray Dawson of Scott Dawson Advertising.

Kasom is a former academy player at Accrington Stanley, but turned to a career in tutoring and coaching after injury prevented a full-time professional career in the game.

He spoke to students about his experiences when joining the club, and said how welcome he was made to feel by the Stanley Family - and that everyone at the club now extends that same friendly welcome to anyone.

 Those taking part in the workshops are also being invited to Stanley's home match against the MK Dons on Tuesday 4th March, with anyone taking part in Ramadan also invited to break their fast at the Wham Stadium ahead of the game.

On the same night, Accrington Stanley will also be running their popular ‘Mosque Walk to the Match' campaign with local mosque, Raza Jamia Masjid.

 Robert Houseman, Accrington Stanley EDI Officer, said: "We put measures in place to ensure Accrington Stanley is accessible and welcoming to everyone, no matter what their background, beliefs or abilities. We listen to our fans, and implement measures to help people. This includes our SWAN programme, Supporters With Additional Needs who are given a badge so staff can recognise this."

 Cllr Noordad Aziz, deputy leader of Hyndburn Borough Council, said: "This is a great initiative and we want everyone in the local area to come down to the club and get involved. It really is a safe, friendly environment and we make everyone feel welcome. The Mosque Walk to the Match is proving really popular and we will keep it going as long as people are joining us!"

 Hyndburn Borough Council were awarded a funding grant of £57,000 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to support community cohesion and resilience work across the borough.

 Accrington Stanley Football Club represents communities from a wide variety of diverse backgrounds and has achieved a Bronze level in the EFL's Equality Code of Practice, due to their ongoing work and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

 You can learn more about Accrington Stanley on their website:www.accringtonstanley.co.uk