Huddersfield Town Foundation has honoured nine ‘community champions’ who have worked hard to support the charity and its aims.
As part of the English Football League’s Community Weekend, the Foundation presented awards to nine individuals at Huddersfield Town’s home game against Plymouth Argyle.
The awards were presented by the football club’s chief executive Jake Edwards.
The nine recipients were:
Helen Pearson: Head teacher at Moldgreen Community Primary School. Helen is a massive advocate for the Town Foundation and has helped them to grow their work in the education sector.
She is a massive Town fan, and she has seen firsthand the benefits of what the Foundation’s Premier League Primary Stars delivery has on the young people at Moldgreen.
James Carter: Club secretary at Linthwaite FC. James was chosen for this long-term support and commitment to fundraising for the Town Foundation and other local charities.
James (below) has completed all six of the Big Sleep Out events to raise money for Breakfast Clubs and local homelessness charities.
He has developed the nickname of the ‘Running Santa’ for raising almost £10,000 for various local foodbanks over the last three years by running 10k on each day of December dressed as Father Christmas.
Rashida Salloo: Selected as a result of her ongoing work in the North Kirklees area to increase the participation of women from a South East Asian background in sport.
Rashida does a magnificent job in supporting the Foundation with the Active Through Football programme, breaking down barriers and promoting a healthier lifestyle.
Hamzah Haddouche: Previously, he was a participant on Premier League Kicks, a Foundation programme providing positive activities for young people to engage in on evenings in safe spaces.
Hamzah’s natural progression has seen him, for the past two years, become a volunteer on sessions to give back after the positive impact on him.
The Foundation has now secured Hamzah a place on a UEFA C Coaching course so that he can gain a formal qualification and progress to have an opportunity of paid employment with the charity.
Jeremy Meadowcroft: A casual coach staff member for the Foundation, Jeremy has spent the past two years devoting his Monday and Thursday evenings to work with the young people who attend the Foundation’s Premier League Kicks sessions.
He has played a big role in the growth of the SEND and Women and Girls’ sessions and has had a positive impact on the participants and his fellow coaches.
Finley: A participant of the Foundation’s Premier League Kicks Mentoring Programme, which is delivered at his school. Finley progressed onto a week-long work placement with Town’s Foundation in January of 2023 and, as a result, was selected to join the Ball Crew on match days at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Finley has shown lots of engagement and commitment to the Foundation, which has had an impact on him, as seen both inside and outside of school.
Dave Bretton: A regular participant at the Foundation, Dave is now in remission after a battle with cancer. He is a true inspiration to his fellow Walking Football attendees, as he enjoys the Foundation’s sessions on a Friday at 5CORE at Waterloo. He attends the session because of the camaraderie and boost to his mental health.
Mihai: He arrived in Dewsbury as a non-English speaking teenager from Romania, who then faced isolation and bullying.
After being diagnosed with psychosis in June 2020, Mihai has seen a large improvement in his mental health and confidence after attending the Foundation’s weekly Wellbeing Football, Premier League Kicks, and Heads Up sessions, where he has been able to develop friendships.
Anne Firth: A member of the Foundation’s Fundraising and Events Committee, she has shown strong support to help with organising events from Fizz Friday, Big Sleep Out and Wear Blue and White Day.
She has also been an advocate of the club’s fundraising events having completed Walk for Pounds.
Foundation CEO Siobhan Atkinson said: “It’s great to see that the Foundation and the club have been able to collaborate to celebrate the amazing work that these individuals have done to make a difference in not just the community but to help us as an organisation.
“It is amazing to see how they personally gained from volunteering and the firsthand impact it has.
“We thank the EFL for giving us a platform to spotlight a selection of people, who are involved with and benefit from the work of the Foundation.”
If you would like to know more about the programmes that the Foundation run, please email help@htafcfoundation.com for more information.
