Bolton Wanderers in the Community Nominated for Two Awards at the Northwest Football Awards

Bolton Wanderers in the Community (BWitC) are pleased to announce we have been nominated for not one but two awards at the Northwest Football Awards 2024. BWitC have been nominated for Community Club of the Season – All other Leagues (in association with the PFA) and Community Initiative of the Season – All other Leagues (in association with the PFA) for our Sutton Community Hub at this year’s awards ceremony.

It is a great honour to once again be nominated and are delighted to be recognised for the important work we do across Bolton. Everything we do as a charity works towards our collective vision of ‘A connected Bolton without Disadvantage’. Using the power of Bolton Wanderers Football Club (BWFC) to inspire, support and deliver positive change our staff work to provide intervention, prevention and targeted engagement creating sustainable pathways that transform lives. Ultimately our work aims to connect people, enable communities to thrive and succeed.

Two years into our three-year strategy, our programmes of work continue to address the inequalities that exist across our town. We have launched several exciting new provision and projects this year, delivering 28 projects across Bolton, targeting communities and individuals that experience the most inequalities. New projects include our Alternative Provision, supporting young people who may need extra support to access education or education delivered in a different way. Around ED&I, both our Premier League Fans Fund and BL One projects aim to bring our diverse communities together and increase and improve understanding and cohesiveness in our town.

We are delighted to have also been nominated for Community Initiative of the Season – All other Leagues (in association with the PFA) for our Sutton Community Hub community model. Our Sutton Estate Community Centre has seen growth in demand and provision over the last year for a range of services across start well, live well and age well initiatives providing positive activities for residents age 0-65+, ensuring there is a community offer for all members of the community.

over the last year our Community Hub was utilised as a warm space for the residents in response to the rising cost of living. Partnering with local homelessness charity, Urban Outreach, we managed to set up a food pantry and provide free lunches to children during the school holidays. We also launched our Sutton Families and Babies projects which aim to give children the best start to life.

Throughout the school holidays our Holiday Activity and Food provision provides children and young people with free food and activities to ensure that they wouldn’t go hungry over the school break. Running in conjunction with Bolton Lunches in partnership with local food charity Urban Outreach we ensure those families who didn’t qualify for benefits but impacted by rising costs of living could access free food provision.

Weekly youth engagement sessions ensure children and young people have positive activities and somewhere safe to go in the evening, delivered on days/times when there was a higher chance of anti-social behaviour occurring. Our employability workshops support residents to improve their skills, confidence, CV support, interview techniques and support them to be more job ready.

Our Extra Time Hub at Sutton Estate Community Centre provides a weekly get together for residents aged over 50. The Centre provides a space for them to meet with free refreshments, activities and crucially the opportunity to connect with other members of the community.

Ben Lawton, Deputy CEO of Bolton Wanderers in the Community reflects on the nominations, ‘Having won Community Club of the Season – All other Leagues at last year’s Northwest Football Awards it is an honour to this year be nominated for not one but two awards. As a charity we work to ensure the best provisions for our participants, ensuring there is a community offer for all members of our community. This is a huge recognition and a thank you for the hard work our staff and volunteers put in to help support our local community working toward the common goal of a connected Bolton without disadvantage.’

To see the full list of Nominees head to Northwest Football Awards 2024