As of Thursday November 5th, the Bristol Rovers Community Trust will alter its community delivery in line with UK government lockdown restrictions.

With a nationwide lockdown being implemented as of 12:01am on Thursday November 5th, Bristol Rovers Community Trust will, where possible, move all physical community delivery to online platforms.

The Trust’s staff will continue to support those most in need in the local community via digital platforms and through one to one meetings.

The Bristol Rovers Community Trust education department will remain open and will continue to deliver education provision to all of its students whilst strictly adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols issued by Public Health England.

The Community Trust will also continue to deliver its Premier League Primary Stars programme in local schools whilst taking the necessary Covid-19 safety measures.

The official charity of Bristol Rovers will look to support the community wherever possible during this upcoming period of lockdown and will continue to be there for those in need.

During these difficult times, it is important that elderly and vulnerable members of our community are not feeling isolated and lonely. We will be working hard over the coming few weeks to ensure that we are helping those who may be affected by loneliness over the course of this next lockdown period.

The evolving nature of the situation will be monitored closely, and the Community Trust will work with the necessary authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all participants and staff.

Due to the upcoming Government restrictions, our next BTEC Open Evening on Thursday 19th November, will now take place online via Zoom.

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If you're in year 11, love your football and are interested in starting a career within the sports industry, then this is the place for you.

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There's still time to register so click on the link below and don't miss out!

On Monday 26th October Bristol Rovers Community Trust will be hosting the first of their open trials for the BTEC Football Programme. These sessions will be held at Lockleaze Sports Centre with a girl’s session running from 10am-12pm and a boy’s session running from 1pm-3pm.

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These free sessions are open for students in years 10,11 and 12 who have an interest in football, sport, and our education programme. The BTEC Level 3 in Sport, run by Bristol Rovers Community Trust is the perfect platform for any student who have aspirations, to start their career in the sports industry.

The course also allows students to train every day and represent Bristol Rovers in the EFL CEFA League, as well as studying at The Memorial Stadium throughout the week. These trials arranged by the UEFA qualified coaches, will give you the opportunity to experience our daily training sessions and is the perfect chance to show the team what you can do.

Students who have attended or registered for one of the ‘Open Evenings’ for the BTEC Programme, will automatically be invited for these sessions. These sessions are open to everyone in years 10,11 & 12 and If you know anyone else would be interested in taking part, they would be welcome to register and participate.

All sessions will follow the FA's COVID guidance for football to ensure the safety of all participants.

To register for the next trials or any of the future sessions, please click HERE. 

If you have any further questions, please contact Jack Richardson at education@bristolroverscommunity.org.uk.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are to launch a new mental health programme for men in partnership with Talk Club (https://www.wetalkclub.com). Bristol Rovers Talk Club is part of a behaviour-changing movement aimed at getting men to talk more openly about their thoughts, feelings, worries and day-to-day gripes.

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Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 49 in the UK and approximately three-quarters of all suicides are male.  Talk Club was created after one of its Founders, Ben Akers, lost his childhood best friend, Steve Yates, to suicide in 2014.  Struggling to process his grief, Ben set out to make ‘Steve’, an award winning documentary about male mental health and Talk Club is a legacy of that project.

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The groups are relaxed, informal and non-judgemental - a place where men can simply go in and get off their chest what's been happening in their week.  Gavin Thorpe, Talk Club Co-Founder said, “We all experience life's highs and lows and, we believe, Bristol Rovers Talk Club can be there for both.  We have set up a thriving online private, men-only Facebook group.  It's a fantastic welcoming community of men simply getting stuff off their chest daily.  There are no therapists, no couches and no judgement - just regular men sitting in a private and safe space at the Memorial Stadium listening and talking. It’s a beautifully simple medicine that we rarely give ourselves, the ability to share how we really feel.

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With latest research revealing that more than 60% of adults and over two thirds of young people felt their mental health deteriorated during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, encouraging conversations around our own mental health and that of others has never been more important.

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Adam Tutton, Community Trust CEO said, “I am delighted we have partnered with Talk Club to set up our own Bristol Rovers Talk Club based here at the Memorial Stadium. Our previous mental health programmes and events have proved incredibly popular and we felt it was vitally important to remind all men that they are not alone, that other men feel exactly the same way they do, and if we share our feelings we can become mentally stronger. Together we can change the way we look after our mental health and help end suicide.

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Bristol Rovers Talk Club Captain, Jack Newcome, who will be running the sessions at the Memorial Stadium said, "Sessions will be running weekly and will take place here at the home of Bristol Rovers. Simply search “Talk Club Bristol Rovers' on Facebook for more information on how you can become part of the team."

To join the Bristol Rovers Talk Club Facebook Group, click below:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/talkclubbristolrovers/

To find out more about how Talk Club came about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9FEQYp1imc&feature=youtu.be

Bristol Rovers Women’s (AKA the 'Gas Girls') are delighted to launch a special edition away kit in partnership with Bristol Pride. The brand-new special edition kit will make it's debut this Sunday in the Women's FA Cup Preliminary Round away to Chipping Sodbury Ladies.

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Bristol Pride is a registered charity organised by volunteers from the community who work all year round to challenge homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and promote equality and diversity, for all, through various events, school visits and consultation services. The Bristol Pride Festival also attracts close to 40,000 people every year.

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The ‘Gas Girls’ recently received ‘The Best Football Community Development Initiative’ award at this year’s FA Women’s Football Awards and the club is continuing to establish key partnerships within the City in an attempt to promote community cohesion and inclusion.

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Bristol Rovers Women’s and Bristol Rovers Community Trust are also excited to be working alongside Bristol Pride to organise future events and help bring the community together to celebrate, create understanding, opportunities for engagement and to tackle discrimination.

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'Gas Girls' Club Secretary and Marketing Manager, Matthew Davies, said: "I am absolutely delighted to establish this partnership with such an inspiring organisation and charity like Bristol Pride. We've been in discussion with the team at Bristol Pride for a number of months and it was very clear that we all share the same community values and strive to challenge homophobia of any kind in society. To donate the front of this shirt to Bristol Pride and to be able to wear their brand is a huge honour and we're really excited by what we're able to achieve by working together in the future. I'd also like to thank Bob Seymour from Ahimsa Yoga Bristol who helped us the launch of the kit and shares our values as a club."

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Eve Russell, Festival Director at Bristol Pride, added: "We were so excited when Matt got in touch. Sport reaches and connects with so many people of all ages, races, sexes genders and everything in-between. Homophobia is a big problem in sport and this is a very clear message. We wish them all the best with the season ahead and can’t wait to wear the shirts with pride."

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust have been recognised as the ‘Best Community Football Development Initiative’ at this year’s FA Women’s Football Awards for the launch of the new Bristol Rovers Women’s team and for their work in the community.

The FA Women’s and Girls’ Football Participation Awards recognise the achievement of clubs, players, staff and the important work by volunteers at the grassroots level of the game.

The announcement of the award was made via a surprise video call from England and Chelsea forward Fran Kirby, to Bristol Rovers Women’s Co-Founder, Matthew Davies which was then released on the Lionesses twitter page yesterday.

Since the launch of the ‘Gas Girls’ project, the Community Trust have seen a dramatic increase in participation figures across the free football sessions that they host during term-time and a huge rise in applications for the BTEC programme that gives girl’s the opportunity to take their first steps into working within the sports industry.

Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that we’ve won this Nationally recognised award. Our success is down to a passionate, hardworking team and their dedication and belief in what they do and what they’re hoping to achieve.  Without the support of our participants, partners, sponsors, fans and the directors at the football club, we wouldn’t have been able to make the impact that we have for women and girls in our community over the last 12 months.”

Bristol Rovers Co-Founder, Matthew Davies, said: “Considering Bristol Rovers Women’s has only been fully operational for just over a year, I think we are all really surprised to receive this award but obviously delighted. The ‘Gas Girls’ programme focuses on community, education, participation and performance and this model will enable us to grow and develop further in the coming years. The whole team is really excited by what the future holds, and I feel that we’ve only scratched the surface of our potential.”

Bristol Rovers Women’s were on course to win their Gloucestershire County Women’s League before the season was declared null & void due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The new season is scheduled to kick on the 20th September.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to announce the details or this year’s summer football activities for children during the school holidays.

For the first time, we’re offering FREE ‘Summer Football Sessions’ throughout August at Lockleaze Sports Centre, strictly for the families of key workers and those receive free school meals. Every participant will also receive a free packed lunch, provided by one of our partners, which they will be able to take home.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are restrictions and changes to our usual school holiday ‘Fun Days’ format, however the health and safety of all of our participants is our paramount concern. For this summer we will have one-hour slots available for the various age groups on each day.

10am - 11am (8 Years - 10 Years)

12pm - 1pm (11 Years - 13 Years)

2pm - 3pm (14 Years - 16 Years)

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And we are now taking bookings on the dates below;

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Tuesday 4th August

Thursday 6th August

Tuesday 11th August

Thursday 13th August

Tuesday 18th August

Thursday 20th August

Tuesday 25th August

Thursday 27th August

Bristol Rovers Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said; “I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to offer the families and children in our community the opportunity to play football with us this summer, for free. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected so many people in our community, so to be able to offer these sessions to those families who have been working tirelessly throughout lockdown and to those who rely on free meals at school, is our way of wanting to help during the school holidays. We’re also fully committed to making sure that the children who attend our sessions, receive a free packed lunch for them to take home. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for the incredibly generous donations that we’ve received from supporters and people from within our community.”

We are now taking bookings online via our 'Fun Days' page. Click on the button below to book.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust is seeking to employ two dynamic individuals to join the expanding

Education Department.

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Vacancy 1 – Education Tutor (Full Time)

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The Trust are looking to recruit someone to provide high quality educational delivery for our

expanding BTEC Level 3 National in Sports Coaching and Development course. The successful

candidate will also support the development of a range of additional educational programmes to

further develop the Trust. We are seeking someone who is knowledgeable and passionate about

teaching, football and sport. The successful candidate will need to excel in classroom delivery and be

able to engage with a wide range of people.

Remuneration: Salary dependant on experience, £18,000 - £22,000 per annum

Closing Date: Thursday 30th July 2020

Interviews: Tuesday 4th August 2020

How to Apply: Please read the full job description at https://www.bristolroverscommunity.org.uk/recruitment

If you wish to apply for the role and can demonstrate that you have the necessary skills and experience outlined in the full job description, please send your CV and covering letter to our Education Lead, Jimmy Lee, via careers@bristolroverscommunity.org.uk

*Please note that the job will be subject to satisfactory references and DBS checks (where relevant).

Bristol Rovers Community Trust is an Equal Opportunities employer and welcomes applications from

all sections of the community. The position may also be suitable for retired teachers or those with

experience of the education sector.

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Vacancy 2 – Degree Mentor (Part Time)

The Trust is seeking to recruit an Education Mentor to oversee the FdSc Community Football

Coaching and Development degree from September 2020. This course is in partnership with the

University of South Wales (USW), but is based at The Memorial Stadium. The Education Mentor will

support, mentor and teach students enrolled on the programme by facilitating tasks and provide

collective and individual support to maximise student’s successful completion of the FdSc

programme. This will involve overseeing the student’s participation in distance learning webinars and

manage student’s adherence to deadlines on a weekly basis. The successful candidate will also

support the recruitment of new students onto the course to help grow the programme. We are

seeking someone who is knowledgeable and passionate about teaching, football and sport.

Hours of Work: 16 hours per week over a Monday and a Friday

Remuneration: £18,500 p/a (pro rata) based on a 40 hour working week (This role is for 16 hours per

week until July 2021). Any additional hours required of the role will be paid at a rate of £20 per hour.

Closing Date: Thursday 6th August 2020

Interviews: Monday 10th August 2020

How to Apply: Please read the full job description at https://www.bristolroverscommunity.org.uk/recruitment If you wish to apply for the role and can demonstrate that you have the necessary skills and experience outlined in the full job description, please send your CV and covering letter to our Education Lead, Jimmy Lee, via careers@bristolroverscommunity.org.uk

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*Please note that the job will be subject to satisfactory references and DBS checks (where relevant).

Bristol Rovers Community Trust is an Equal Opportunities employer and welcomes applications from

all sections of the community. The position may also be suitable for retired teachers or those with

experience of the education sector.

Bristol Rovers season ticket holder, Nik Weeks is about to embark on a momentous challenge which will test his physical and mental endurance as he prepares to run over a marathon a day, whilst working a full day’s shift as a harbourside police officer.

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The harbourside police sergeant will be running 15 miles from his home in Coalpit Heath to his office at Portbury Docks, work a full shift and then run back home during the week starting Monday August 3rd to Friday August 7th, accumulating a mind-blowing 150 miles. Nik is putting himself through this inspiring challenge to raise money for Bristol Rovers Community Trust and for ‘TOFS’ which is charity supporting those born who are unable to swallow.

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Nik (Aged 35) wanted to do something to “capture the imagination” and challenge himself in the hope of raising awareness and as much money as possible to support the work that ‘TOFS’ and Bristol Rovers Community Trust do.

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Nik, said; “My good friends had a daughter born last summer named Halle who encountered a condition called TOF, (Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula) which is an underdeveloped oesophagus and resulted in Halle having to go through eleven operations in just ten months since her birth. I felt powerless and I did not know what I could do to help which is why I wanted to try and do something that is a little bit ‘out there’. I was in the gym I heard about the amazing work that the community trust does around our City and being a passionate ‘Gas Head’ I felt that it would be great to raise funds for another charity that I’m really proud of.”

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Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said; “Nik is about to embark on what can only be described as an awe-inspiring challenge and we cannot thank him enough for considering Bristol Rovers Community Trust as one of the charities that he will be representing. I know that our fans will join together to rally around Nik and offer him support by donating what they can, not only for the community trust but for ‘TOFS’ which is a superb organisation that helps new born babies with an abnormal oesophagus and offers vital support to parents.”

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Nik is currently training hard to make sure that he is prepared for the challenge that starts in early August. Bristol Rovers Community Trust will be keeping everyone up to date with his progress as we build up to what the first leg of the journey on Monday August 3rd.

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To donate and support Nik, please visit the Just Giving page below.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to be involved in a collaboration of local charities to form a new Support Hub to help older people and their families cope with the impact of the Coronavirus in Bristol.

The Support Hub will provide a range of different services for older people including practical, social and emotional support, such as shopping and weekly social phone calls, as well as virtual activities that older people can do from the safety of their own home.

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Due to social distancing measures, there is a risk that some older people in Bristol will feel lonely and socially isolated during this period. We feel it is important to think about social opportunities to keep older people connected while they are at home, as well as dealing with practical issues.  As a group of charities, we are offering virtual activities such as shared reading, reminiscence, quizzes, armchair athletics and even yoga – people can get involved either online or over the phone.”

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Adam Tutton, Bristol Rovers Community Trust CEO said, "We are delighted to be working in partnership with several other Bristol charities as part of the Bristol Support Hub. Having been working with vulnerable people throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, we have seen first-hand the vital role we can play in ensuring that our most vulnerable are socially, physically and emotionally supported.

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"In the first instance, the Community Trust will be offering free weekly online social and physical activities to all our existing Extra Time Club members. Following this pilot, we then hope to expand our offer to all our isolated and vulnerable fans."

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The Support Hub is staffed 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday. If you call outside of these hours please leave a message and someone will respond to you as soon as possible. You can call the helpline on 0117 929 7537 or email  admin@ageukbristol.org.uk.

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’The Virtual Hub', funded by St Monica Trust, brings together many different organisations across greater Bristol to run virtual activities during the COVID-19 crisis.  Lead by Alive and Active Ageing Bristol, the Hub is supporting physical activity classes online or on the phone, enabling older people to still have access to their normal activity despite the current challenges.

With experts all over the world recommending the use of face-masks in public to slow the spread of Covid-19, we have designed these Bristol Rovers Snood/​Buffs that can be used to cover your face in public. Whilst not medical-grade, these cloth face coverings can be instrumental in preventing the onward transmission of the virus. The Rovers branded snoods also offer UV protection, warmth on cold days and can be worn multiple ways such as hair ties, head bands or bandanas when not used to cover your face.

Since 11th May, the UK government has recommended that British people wear face coverings in enclosed spaces to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The advice is in place for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, recommending that people wear face coverings, which includes snoods, non-surgical masks and scarves. The government says that if you can, you should wear a face covering in enclosed spaces where social distancing isn’t possible and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet. This includes on public transport, in shops, Post Offices and Supermarkets.

As Bristol Rovers official charity, Bristol Rovers Community Trust have been financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The purchase of this Face Covering/​Snood will help raise vital funds for our community organisation and we greatly appreciate your support at this challenging time. All proceeds will go to Bristol Rovers Community Trust and their charity partners as they continue to support our fans and wider community through Covid-19.

Bristol Rovers Women’s are delighted to announce an official partnership with the Bristol Women’s Football Casual League.

The partnership is aimed to promote the growth of recreational based football, to assist and collaborate with future events and to build a community of likeminded people who love the beautiful game in our City.

The BWFCL is a 7 a side friendly league that play outdoors, on a 3G astro-turf pitch at Bristol Brunel Academy, every 3 weeks on a Saturday. The League offers women from the age of 18-80 the opportunity to play football in a fun and friendly environment. The BWFCL also gives women a chance for new, returning or casual level players to take part in matches and now boasts close to 200 hundred registered players from across the City.

Bristol Rovers Women’s Co-Founder, Matthew Davies, said; “I am absolutely thrilled to start this relationship with the Bristol Women’s Football Casual League. We’ve been extremely impressed with the work and commitment that’s being made by the league members and all of the teams that help to promote such a positive and friendly atmosphere. Our values as a club is to promote inclusivity and offer more opportunities for more women and girls to play football. I hope that working with the league, we’ll be able to help increase participation numbers, offer more opportunities for players in the league and to start building a vibrant, inclusive community and culture around the club.”

BWFCL Social Media Administrator, Holly McDade, added; “The BWFCL are delighted to be in partnership with Bristol Rovers Women’s Football Club. We’re really looking forward to working together to develop grassroots women’s football in Bristol and the wider community. It’s great to see that the ‘Gas Girls’ are reaching out to the community and we’re really excited to see what we can develop together.”

The ’Gas Girls’ have already reaped the benefits of the BWFCL, with current players Rossana Rocha and Shannon Francis having played in the league previously. Both players have unanimously praised the friendly atmosphere and the opportunity to socialise and keep active amongst friends.

Bristol Rovers Women’s focus on four key areas as a football club, which include community, education, participation and performance. We aim to work closely with more partners with like minded values from across the City to build a club with the core community values at heart.

Fir more information on the Bristol Women’s Football Casual League, please visit their website (https://www.bwfcl.co.uk/) and follow their social media channels.

Bristol Rovers FC and Bristol Rovers Community Trust have again joined forces to support Bristol’s children. Over the past week 1st team players have been recording football drills and exercise tips, which have been shared on a new Bristol City Council website, #WeAreBristolKids

The website is an opportunity for children and young people to learn about Bristol, as well as read stories, get art tips, take part in physical activity and competitions as well as lots of other fun activities.

One of the ideas behind the new website is to ensure every child and young person in Bristol is able to feel safe and be healthy, to have the chance to explore and be curious, and to learn, play and thrive with a positive future to look forward to.

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Ben Garner, Bristol Rovers First Team manager said, “Supporting our local community and Bristol council is very important to all of us at Bristol Rovers Football Club. Especially with regards the health and well-being of the City’s kids. For that reason we are delighted to have contributed to the WeAreBristol Kids initiative with some exercises and drills to encourage children to get active, learn some new skills, and most importantly to have fun.”

On International Day of Families, Bristol Rovers Community Trust is partnering with EFL Trust and Ferrero to launch the ‘Joy of Moving Home School Festival’, a full afternoon of home school activities and games to get children and their families moving and having fun.

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Following the launch of the new online Joy of Moving Resource Hub, the Home School Festival will involve 72 other EFL Trust network Club Community Organisations and at a time when children are unlikely to experience the fun of their school sports day this year or missing play time with their friends, will offer children and families an afternoon of movement and fun with different games and activities to choose from.

The Joy of Moving programme, a Ferrero CSR project, has been supporting Year 5 children across EFL Communities in the UK for the past 6 years. The Joy of Moving programme has consisted of two elements; the Move & Learn programme and Joy of Moving Festivals. Over 310,000 children have been introduced to moving and learning new skills all while having fun and playing.

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Mike Evans, Chief Executive at EFL Trust said;

“We are delighted to bring the Joy of Moving Home School Festival to thousands of households across the UK. So many children will miss out on their Sports Day and our festival should offer fun whilst also keeping children active during these times.”

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Our network of Club Community Organisations have been doing some amazing work in response to Coronavirus, and this is another way in which football is supporting the community and reaching families in all regions of the country.”

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Charlie Cayton, Director of Corporate Affairs and communications, Ferrero UK said;

We have had a strategic partnership with the EFL Trust for many years delivering our corporate social responsibility (CSR) project the Joy of Moving Move & Learn and Festivals. We have swiftly worked with EFL Trust to adapt the programme to share our simple and fun unbranded games with parents and teachers, that give ideas on how to get kids moving through play. This includes a freely accessible resource hub for everyone. We are really excited to see the Joy of Moving Home School Festival in action."

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The games and activities are based on the unique Joy of Moving methodology, developed by Ferrero with key independent parties including Foro Italico (Rome University) and the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). This methodology inspires children to move through play across the world, whilst developing key skills in four major areas: physical fitness, motor coordination, cognitive functions and creativity and life skills.

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The Joy of Moving Home School Festival will begin next week. Keep a look out for what is happening in Bristol through #JOMHomeFestival or to find more fun games to play visit www.joyofmovingresourcehub.co.uk.

Academy players from Bristol Rovers will be featured as part of three new Football Remembers films released to mark 75 years since VE Day.

The film is the latest in a number of videos to be released for Football Remembers WWII, a partnership from the Premier League’s education programme and Big Ideas, supported by EFL clubs. 

The players interviewed WWII veterans who also played professionally for their respective teams.

Bristol Rovers Academy players met with Josser Watling, who served in the Royal Navy during World War II and was part of the Russian convoy delivering essential supplies to the Soviet Union in dreadful conditions.

After the war, Josser signed for Bristol Rovers and devoted his entire career to the Club making 323 league appearances. Football Remembers helped Josser apply for his Arctic Star medal which he earned in recognition of his service on the Arctic Convoys. Josser has recently received the medal and is looking forward to sharing photos when lockdown lifts.

Bristol Rovers Academy player, Josh Bailey, said; “Being able to spend time in the presence of someone like Josser Watling was the most humbling experience of my life. To have the opportunity to sit down with someone who shares my love for football but with a very different life story was something I will never forget. Josser recounting stories of his time serving In the second world war and playing for Bristol Rovers was amazing. His wisdom and warm presence allowed for a wonderful afternoon spent together. He truly is a hero and someone who I have the highest level of respect for; not just respect for what he's done but for who he continues to be.”

Ever since the lockdown was enforced, Bristol Rovers and Bristol Rovers Community Trust have been working tirelessly to ensure that vulnerable fans receive the support that they require. Over 700 letters were sent to season ticket holders over 70 years of age, offering assistance and food parcels for those supporters who may need it.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said; “" During our recent deliveries of essential items to our vulnerable fans, I have had the pleasure to have met several veterans and people that lived through World War 2 from the ends of their driveways. Their stories of the hardships they faced, and the bravery shown by so many should never be forgotten. BRCT are delighted to be able to share this wonderful video that features Josser Watling, who not only fought for his country, but also devoted his entire career to Bristol Rovers. A true hero.”

The Community Trust are also supporting the Premier League Communities ‘Get In Touch’ initiative by encouraging children to reach out to an older relative, friend or neighbour who may be isolated by writing a letter, share a story and making a difference.

Everyone is also encouraged to get involved by sharing a message for the World War Two veterans either using the hashtag #FootballRemembers #VEDay75 #GetInTouch or by uploading on the Big Ideas page: https://www.big-ideas.org/current-projects/football-remembers-wwii-at-home/

Here at Bristol Rovers Community Trust our staff and students will be running, cycling or walking 1883 miles over the next few weeks in aid of NHS Charities and The Amber Trust that aims to transform the lives of blind and partially sighted children through music.

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We also have a brand new Twitter Account for our Education Department @BristolRoversEd so please check it out and give us a follow to keep up to date with what our students are up to.

The first deliveries of the essential food and provisions packaged for vulnerable Season Ticket holders were delivered today, as members of the first-team joined staff from the Community Trust to help deliver the packages direct to the doorstep of Season Ticket holders.

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Season Ticket holders who are 70 and over were contacted via a letter from Manager Ben Garner, expressing the club's well wishes during these unprecedented times and offering assistance to those who may be isolated away from family and friends during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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The packages were constructed with essential food and supplies, as well as a can of Thatchers Cider and were delivered to the doors of vulnerable season ticket holders by members of the first-team squad in locations all over Bristol.

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Community Trust Chief Executive Adam Tutton said, "We are pleased to be able to offer our help to those who need it in today's turbulent climate.

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"As soon as it was announced that those over 70 were advised to self-isolate for a three-month period, it came to our attention that we could well have members of our fan base that could be struggling, without the support of family and friends. 

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"From our launch just over a week ago, we have worked with our suppliers to construct these packages, which will hopefully go a long way to helping in this crisis.

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"It's brilliant to have the players here today helping to pack and deliver these items. You can see that it gives people a real lift when they see that their delivery was dropped off by a member of the first-team and it goes to show the strong community core that we have here at Bristol Rovers. 

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"This scheme is on-going and I would encourage anyone who has had the letter from the club and needs support, please reach out to us and we will do all we can to help."

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Should any current Bristol Rovers season ticket holders aged 70 and above require support please contact support@bristolrovers.co.uk with your name, contact number and season ticket number. A member of the club will then contact you to discuss your requirements.

The EFL and EFL Trust have today launched an online FIT FANS campaign to provide a safe way for fans to get active in the safety of their homes.

In support of Sport England’s ‘Stay in Work Out’ campaign, the programme will ensure fans have a safe way to start and maintain exercise safely, during this current period.

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According to new research released by Sport England, over 65% of people believe that exercise is helping them with their mental health, making an active lifestyle more important than ever for EFL fans and the nation.

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Over the next 12 weeks we will feature sessions developed by two fitness coaches, Scott Copeland and Steph Thompson from the Club Community Organisation (CCO) network and will be released twice a week for fans to follow and get involved.

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The sessions will introduce the concepts of safe warm up and cool down, increasing daily step counts and activity levels gradually, before moving onto sessions including aerobic strength and training. The exercises will vary and be fun to really give fans the chance to keep moving and see improvements in their fitness.

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The sessions will be released each week on Wednesday at 5pm and Saturday at 11am on the EFL and EFL Trust YouTube channels, and will be available for fans to watch at their own leisure within the safety of their own homes.

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Stay home, save lives and join the FIT FANS movement as we find new ways to keep moving in around our homes.

Bristol Rovers Football Club and Bristol Rovers Community Trust are joining forces to provide the club's most vulnerable fans with emergency packs of essential food and provisions during the current Coronavirus pandemic.

The club are aiming to contact all their season ticket holders aged 70 and above who have been asked by the government to self-isolate for at least the next three months. 

Any of these supporters who have no access to family, friends or support, are being asked to contact the club, who will then aim to provide a weekly pack of essential items that will be delivered directly to their doors by staff from both the club and the Community Trust, as well as local volunteers.

Adam Tutton, CEO of Bristol Rovers Community Trust said, "We recognise that some of our elderly season ticket holders may be incredibly isolated over the coming weeks. 

'Not everyone has family and friends they can call upon during this difficult time and this is where we as a Football Club can step in as a support network for our vulnerable fans. We cannot guarantee parcels for everyone but will do all we can to support those most in need."

Commercial Director, Tom Gorringe added, "We are currently in conversation with some of our suppliers and FareShare South West, who are all hoping to be able to provide us with much-needed provisions for our most vulnerable season ticket holders. We are keen to try and support those fans that have given so much to the football club over the years."

Should any current Bristol Rovers season ticket holders aged 70 and above require support please contact support@bristolrovers.co.uk with your name, contact number and season ticket number. A member of the club will then contact you to discuss your requirements

Due to the ongoing situation regarding the Covid-19 virus (Coronavirus) and the advice given to us by the Premier League, all of our free community sessions have been suspended at Lockleaze Sports Centre for the foreseeable future.

These sessions include;

Premier League Kicks - Monday & Friday 5pm

Juniors Boys - Tuesday 5pm

Junior Girls - Tuesday 5pm

Youth Disability - Tuesday 5pm

11-16 Girls - Tuesday 6pm

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The health & the safety of our participants and staff is by far the most important priority and we wish that everyone stays safe during this period.

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Further information will be communicated in due course.

Due to the issues regarding the Covid-19 virus, the following projects have been postponed;

Extra Time - (Until the 21st April at the earliest)

#FitFans - (Until 3rd April at the earliest)

Match Day activities - (Until 3rd April at the earliest)

Currently our other projects will be going ahead as planned although we will be continuing to monitor the ever evolving situation on a daily basis. We will inform our participants of any further developments in due course.

Participants of the very first Memorial Stadium Sleep Out, raised over £7,000 for Caring in Bristol last Friday evening.

Organised by Bristol Rovers Community Trust, the event aims to highlight the issues that we have in Bristol and how we can help to tackle homelessness in our City.

Caring in Bristol is a local homelessness charity with a vision is of a city empowered to solve homelessness. Their mission is to work in imaginative and creative ways with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, with the public, and with community partners to bring about lasting change in Bristol and beyond. They currently have 8 projects working within Bristol at the moment that bridge the gap between prevention and emergency support, as well as committing to providing free resources for our community.

Participants who attended the event, also took part in a panel discussion titled ‘Can Football Tackle Homelessness’ where ideas and suggestions were shared amongst the group to come up with ways to engage the local community and combat homelessness. The discussion ranged from how football clubs can help and how money that is raised is being used to formulate a plan to eradicate homelessness once and for all.

Chair of the panel and member of the Gas Cast Podcast, Jack Newcombe said “I think we can all see how many homeless people are on the streets in our great City of Bristol and it’s a travesty. When I heard about the #SleepWhereYouStand campaign and the fact that I could do a small something to help, it was just a great opportunity.”

After receiving a free cup of hot soup and a bread roll, it was time to bed down for the night in the famous Memorial Stadium stands. It was another bitter night where the temperature was flirting above the freezing mark throughout the evening and early hours of the morning.

Jack concluded, “It was very tough. I thought it was going to be difficult, but it did get really cold and trying to get comfortable was very difficult. Unfortunately, we had a snorer in the camp so that wasn’t too helpful, but I think I managed around two hours sleep in the end. Doing this night in and night out, I genuinely can’t believe that people do that how these people survive on a day to day basis. I certainly appreciate the comforts that I have but it has motivated me to do more to tackle homelessness in Bristol.

After the success of the first Memorial Stadium Sleep Out, Bristol Rovers Community Trust will be planning to make this an annual event and urge more supporters to get involved. Empowering the community will only help the fight against homelessness in Bristol.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust ambassadors Ollie Clarke, Alfie Kilgour, Mark Little and Alex Rodman made a visit to St. Peter’s Hospice last Thursday to help celebrate the Year of the Nurse and meet some of the patients at the incredible facility in Brentry.

St Peter’s Hospice is a Bristol charity caring for adults with life-limiting illnesses who aim to improve the quality of their living and dying while extending care and support to their families and loved ones. They provide physical, psychological and spiritual care for their patients in their own homes as well as at the Hospice. They also teach other healthcare professionals about how to care for people at the end of their lives.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, who has had personal family experience of the hospice praised the incredible work of nurses and staff at St Peters Hospice. “The club has always really supported the work of St Peter’s Hospice,” he said. “But when you experience first hand what they actually do here for the people of Bristol, it makes that connection even stronger.”

This year is Year of the Nurse, celebrating the work that nurses across the world do every day in their various roles. It’s important to know that a large proportion of the work that the Hospice does is within the community, treating patients and offering support to relatives as well as the service users.

“The care, compassion, understanding offered by the nurses here at the hospice made such a difference to us as a family,” said Adam. “They go above and beyond to give the absolute best every single day". Adam said that the link the football club shares with the hospice is an important part of its work. “It is Bristol’s only adult hospice and is a very important part of the local community,” he added. “Many of our supporters – 8,000 come to watch our games each week – have been touched by cancer and experienced the work of the hospice.”

Ollie, Mark, Alfie and Alex had a tour of the multi-million pound facility, meeting patients and nurses from the Day Services department before visiting patients and families in the ward for the service users with more complex forms of cancer.  Players have made regular visits over the years to the hospice to meet patients and staff who are fans. The club will also help with fundraising and organising player visits in the future.

Adam concluded “The club is keen to continue to help make a difference in supporting this amazing charity. The lads did the Club proud today and we’re looking forward to further establishing this link with the team at St. Peter’s Hospice.

For further information about the fantastic work that St. Peter’s Hospice do, please visit https://www.stpetershospice.org.uk/

Bristol Rovers Community Trust is seeking to recruit several new casual / sessional rate community coaching staff.

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The successful candidates will need to be able to deliver a range of football and other sports sessions to a diverse section of the community of varying ability and ages.

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We are seeking individuals who are knowledgeable and passionate about the workings of charities, football and sport. They will need to excel in the areas of sports delivery and be able to engage with a wide range of people.

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Hours available include day time, evening and weekend work which will be based on need and availability. Commitment, passion and a love of knowing that you will be making a difference to people in the community is going to be vital to your success within this role. BRCT welcome both female and male applicants.

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Job Title: Community Football / Sports Coach: Casual Staff

Report to: CEO of the Trust, Community Manager

Responsible for: Delivery on a variety of community projects

Location: Based at The Memorial Stadium with additional travel to various other locations in Bristol and South Gloucestershire

Hours of Work: Various hours available to be agreed based on need and availability including evenings and weekends

Contract: Casual / Sessional Worker

Job Purpose: To support the Community Trust to deliver the range of their projects based within Education, Sport, Inclusion and Health

Pay: Up to £15 per hour depending on age an experience. Plus Bristol Rovers Community Trust Staff Kit

Closing Date: Sunday 16th Feb 2020

Interviews: Details to be confirmed with individual candidates

How to Apply: Please view the full job description before applying by visiting

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If you wish to apply for the role and can demonstrate that you have the necessary skills and experience, please send your CV and covering letter to our Community Manager Matt Bennett via careers@bristolroverscommunity.org.uk

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This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, validation of references & completion of a probationary period.

Rovers Community Trust partners with homeless charity to offer ‘Sleep Where You Stand’ fundraising experience to support Bristol’s homeless this Winter.

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to announce the first ever Memorial Stadium Sleep Out, giving fans the opportunity to sleep outside overnight in Bristol’s famous Memorial Stadium and help raise funds for Caring in Bristol.

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Caring in Bristol’s vision is of a city empowered to solve homelessness. Our mission is to work in imaginative and creative ways with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, with the public, and with community partners to bring about lasting change in Bristol and beyond.

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The Sleep Out is a charity event designed to give people an insight into the severity of sleeping conditions that many people in our city have to face not only on one night, but every night of the year. The event will take place between 8pm and 7am on Friday 6th March 2020 and included in the night will be a panel discussion titled ‘Can Football Tackle Homelessness?’.

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Sleep Out participants will spend the night sleeping in stands within the Memorial Stadium and will be asked to bring along warm clothes, a sleeping bag and ground mat. The Community Trust will provide participants hot soup and roll in the evening, as well as a bacon butty in the morning. The football club has also kindly offered every participant a terrace ticket for our next home game against Sunderland on Tuesday 10th March, so participants really will be able to “sleep where they stand”.

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Every participant will be asked to raise a minimum of £150 as well as paying a registration fee of £25. The event will sell out and we are limited to 120 spaces, so participants are asked to please register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust will be supporting the running of the event and Trust staff will be taking part in the Sleep Out. Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton said, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Caring in Bristol on this year’s Memorial Stadium Sleep Out. As the football clubs official charity we look to help improve the lives of everyone within our great city and support those people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness”.

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Ben Richardson Caring in Bristol Charity Director said, “Caring in Bristol’s vision is a city empowered to solve homelessness and we achieve that by partnering with organisations like the Rovers Community Trust. This Sleep Out will raise valuable money for our vital projects in the community and empower supporters and club fans to help the nearly 2300 people who are homeless in Bristol this winter.”

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Antonia Cross Caring in Bristol Campaigns and Communications Manager said, “We’re excited to partner with the Rovers Community Trust as a way of starting conversations and inspiring action in our home city, the panel talk themed ‘Can Football Tackle Homelessness?’ will touch on mobilising fan bases, media attention on issues, team work, love for our communities and social inclusion and we think this is a great way of introducing people to the ways which Bristol can be the first major UK city to solve homelessness.”

The education team at Bristol Rovers Community Trust will once again be opening their doors at The Memorial Stadium and are offering potential new students the opportunity to find out about the exciting post-16 courses that are available.

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As a registered charity, the Community Trust can offer exciting post-16 courses which combine academic studies with a sporting experience, where students can represent Bristol Rovers Football Club in competitive fixtures. The Trust provides students with a variety of extra-curricular activities, to further their academic progress and enhance desired life skills.

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The courses delivered by the charity aim to improve the motivation, confidence and self-esteem of students on the courses and help to create life changing opportunities as students are supported in improving their employability prospects.

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If you are currently studying for your GCSE's, you love sport and you’re unsure what it is you want to do in September? Then you still have the opportunity to apply and join Bristol Rovers Community Trust. Many of our BTEC graduates are continuing their studies and are moving onto higher education. We have a tremendous track record of assisting our students to enrol and continue their studies in America, across the UK and with the Community Trust through a degree programme.

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We are always committed to helping you achieve your goals and we have the successful history to prove it. So register today and come along to one of our ‘Open Evenings’ this academic year. We can give you the opportunities and experiences that many other colleges can’t provide.

Our next Open Evening session;

Thursday 23rd January

Start time - 7pm

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If you would like to attend, click on the link below to register;

https://www.bristolroverscommunity.org.uk/education

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust are honoured to have won the Silver Award for the Best Football Community Scheme (Non-Premier League) at the prestigious Football Business Awards in London on Thursday evening.

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The Football Business Awards are an annual event that celebrate and pays tribute to the businesses and organisations that enable the continued success of the game. The awards recognise and reward the off pitch talents and endeavours that are invaluable behind the scenes at football clubs across the country.

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust were shortlisted alongside some of the most successful football charities in the UK, including Cardiff City Foundation, Derby County Foundation, Sunderland Foundation of Light and Fulham FC Foundation.

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Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said: "It’s a huge honour for us to be awarded the Silver Prize for Best Football Community Scheme at the 2019 Football Business Awards. To be selected alongside some of the most successful foundations in the country was a huge achievement but to be awarded for the silver prize is truly fantastic. I'd like to thank Bristol Rovers Football Club, our staff, funders, partners, Board of Trustees and all of our participants for making 2019 another incredible year for Bristol Rovers Community Trust."

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Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Bristol Rovers Community Trust, Ken Masters, also added: This is our fifth award in the past eighteen months. We are very committed to what we do. I am proud of the work of our Trustees, executive management, staff, all of our participants, students and users. We will continue to work even harder to achieve our aims of inclusivity and diversity and to widen participation within our communities.”

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The Football Business Award tops off another hugely successful year for the Trust after picking up 'Community Club of The Year' at the Bristol Sport Awards, as well as being awarded the ‘Grassroots Project of the Year’ 2019 by the Gloucestershire Football Association.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust would like to announce a new walking football session that has been added to our over 50’s programme. The new session sees the Trust linking up with Keith Gwilym, from Bristol United, which is the leading provider of walking football in Bristol. This new partnership allows both the Community Trust and Bristol United to widen their reach and get more people involved in one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Community Manager, Matt Bennett said that ‘it is fantastic to link up with Bristol United, Keith does a tremendous job being one of the key ambassador of walking football in the city. By linking up together we can give more opportunities to over 60’s to get healthy, form friendships and enjoy themselves playing the beautiful game.

Keith Gwilym, of Bristol United, said that ‘I'm delighted that we've been able to partner with Bristol Rovers. For me it's all about getting as many people as possible to play walking football. It's just fantastic to get out there and kick a ball again, with a great bunch of people. We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming people with a variety of health and mobility needs. Everyone is welcome to come and take part, it doesn't matter whether they've played before or not, it's always a great atmosphere and the banter is always fun.’

The new session takes place every Thursday from 2-3pm at the brand new UWE Hillside Gardens Sport Facilities, Filton Rd, Winterbourne, Bristol BS16 1QQ. The session is on the outdoor 3G astro turf and cost £3 a time. New comers are welcome to turn up on the day or email info@bristolroverscommunity.org.uk or call Keith on 07948383536 for more information. This compliments the existing walking football session that takes place on Tuesday evenings from 8-9pm at Bristol Metropolitan Academy, Snowdon Rd, Bristol BS16 2HD in the indoor sports hall.

The Bristol Rovers Community Trust and Jonson Clarke-Harris both received awards for their fantastic work throughout the past year.

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It was a night to celebrate for the Gas at the Bristol Live Sports Awards, with two prizes returning to The Mem.

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The Community Trust had their hard work recognised, claiming the 'Community Club of the Year award', which was accepted by the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, Adam Tutton.

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Rovers also received an award regarding their on-field pursuits, with Jonson Clarke-Harris claiming 'Sports Personality of the Year', acknowledging both his ability on the pitch and his fantastic work with supporters and the wider community

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to announce our ‘Player Ambassadors’ for the season. The Trust can confirm that Ollie Clarke, Alex Rodman, Mark Little and Alfie Kilgour have been assigned as ambassadors to the four key areas where the Community Trust focus their efforts, health, education, inclusion and sports.

Ollie Clarke – Health Ambassador

One of the main priorities for the Community Trust, is the delivery of projects to help improve the health and well-being for participants in our communities. Projects such as ‘Recovery Through Sport’ aim to harness the power of sport to improve people’s physical and mental well-being while programmes like the long running Extra Time Club for Over 60’s, helps tackle issues such as loneliness and social isolation, as well as helping to increase participation in physical activity among the senior community.

Alex Rodman – Education Ambassador

The Community Trust’s wide-ranging education programme ensures all learners develop academically, physically and socially to ensure they are prepared for full time employment or further education. Our Post-16 BTEC Level 3 and Level 2 courses offer 16-18-year olds the opportunity to study the business of sport. Student’s studies are further enhanced through practical sport, with learners representing Bristol Rovers in football, boxing or cricket.

Alfie Kilgour – Sports Ambassador

The Community Trust aim to increase sports participation across all ages of the communities of Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Participating in sports has a positive influence in many areas and our free football sessions, match day experience packages and our school holiday ‘fun days’ help to facilitate an active lifestyle.

Mark Little – Inclusion Ambassador

The social inclusion programs run by the Community Trust aim to improve the opportunities on which individuals and groups take part in society, improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those who are disadvantaged. Projects such as the Premier League Kicks programme offers free football opportunities to the whole community using high quality accessible spaces.

Everyone at Bristol Rovers Community Trust would like to thank Ollie, Alex, Alfie and Mark for their continued contributions and we look forward to working with them closely throughout the season.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust were once again delighted to welcome the ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ team to The Memorial Stadium this week, to host a free educational event for over one hundred Primary School pupils.

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Children from Emerson’s Green, Shield Road and Glenfrome Primary School’s were our guests as they took part in a wide range of workshops, aiming to educate the pupils on discrimination, racism, hate crime and how we can all tackle racism together.

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We were also joined by Bristol Rovers first team players Tyler Smith and Victor Adeboyejo who sat alongside Steve Jenkins from (SRTRC) Assistant Manager Joe Dunne and Councillor Helen Godwin (Cabinet Member for Women, Children and Young People) for a Question and Answer session on their opinions and personal experiences with racism.

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Show Racism the Red Card provide educational workshops, training sessions, multimedia packages, and a whole host of other resources, all with the purpose of tackling racism in society. Established in January 1996, the organisation utilises the high-profile status of football and football players to publicise its message. Across Britain, Show Racism the Red Card delivers training to more than 50,000 individuals per year.

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Workshops are designed to be interactive and to help break down barriers and perceptions in society. Pupils learn about what racism is, how to report hate crime and the importance of respecting individuals regardless of ethnicity, religion, nationality and culture.

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Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said: “We’re delighted to be helping to educate Bristol’s children on the importance of recognising the negative impacts of racism and discrimination. With recent racist events in football it is now more important than ever to educate all those within our community. We stand united with organisations like (SRTRC) and ‘Kick It Out’ to tackle all forms of discrimination within football and society.”

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Tyler Smith added: “It’s important for us to work together and stamp out racism and events like today can help educate the next generation. As a squad we are all happy to support organisations and events like this and I’m happy to have been able to help today.”

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We’d like to thank the ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ team for working with us once again and we fully support the message that they are trying to spread across Primary School’s across the Country.

To find out more about Show Racism the Red Card, please visit https://www.theredcard.org/

Bristol Rovers Community is disgusted and appalled by the racist chanting at last night's EURO 2020 Qualifying match between Bulgaria and England.

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The Community Trust wholly condemns racism and discrimination of any kind and we pride ourselves on working closely with BAME groups in our community and working alongside National organisations such as 'Show Racism The Red Card' and 'Kick It Out' to help tackle racism in today's society.

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We are actively working in this area, to help educate young people about hate crime and are inviting three local Primary School's with over 100 pupils attending The Memorial Stadium on Wednesday 23rd October for an educational event run by 'Show Racism The Red Card'.

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They will also be supporting the Gloucestershire FA on Tuesday 29th October to help deliver a free BAME CPD event celebrating 'Black History Month' with guest speakers Butch Fazal (Coach Inclusion and Diversity Manager) and Steve Smithies (Regional Coach Mentor Officer). This event will take place at Lockleaze Sports Centre from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and if you would like to attend, please contact support@gloucestershirefa.com

Bristol Rovers Community Trust have been shortlisted for this year's 'Community Club Of The Year' at the 2019 Bristol Post Sport Awards.

The awards ceremony that is held at Ashton Gate Stadium on Thursday November 14th, is a celebration of the fantastic sporting achievements by clubs and organisations in the Bristol area.

Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said: "We're thrilled to have been nominated for this years 'Community Club Of The Year' award at this year's Bristol Post Sport Awards. It's been another great year for us as a Trust and we're incredibly proud of the work that we do out in the community and representing Bristol Rovers."

Also nominated for the award, are Longwell Green Junior Football Club, Nailsea United Football Club and Westbury Harriers who are all produce fantastic work in their respective communities.

Life-long Bristol Rovers supporter, Pete Yeoman has kindly donated a family season ticket to Community Trust partners at Avon Foster Carers Association.

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Pete, who now resides in Gibraltar, got in touch with the Football Club and the Community Trust to explain that now he’s living abroad, he is unable to attend matches and would like to donate a season ticket to a charity or association who could enable some of their members to attend.

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The Community Trust have recently been in partnership with the ‘Our City, Our Children’ programme that work with children in care across Bristol. With our recent working relationship on match-days and after witnessing the positive impact that attending a match at The Memorial Stadium can have for these children, it was the obvious choice of organisation to the donated family season ticket.

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Naturally the team at Avon Foster Carers Association were delighted with the donation and Andrea Warnes from the organisation said: “We can’t thank Peter enough for his kind donation and I know that the children will be absolutely delighted with the news. Attending a football match is an experience that some young people are unable to experience, so this opportunity will be a huge benefit to them.”

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Pete Yeoman added; “It’s an honour to be able to donate this season ticket to an organisation that will hugely benefit from it and hopefully it will encourage others to do the same and for many more people to become lifetime fans of the Gas”.

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Everyone at The Community Trust and Bristol Rovers would like to thank Peter for his generous offer and we hope to see him at The Memorial Stadium in the near future.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to announce that they have been shortlisted for the 'Best Non-Premier League Football Community Scheme' at the prestigious Football Business Awards.

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Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said; "We are absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for this award and delighted to be recognised for the work that we do and how the Trust has grown over the last few years. I'd like to offer my congratulations to the other Community Trust's and Foundation's who are also nominated. It's a pleasure for us to be showcased alongside some the biggest football charity's in the UK."

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Community Trust Chair of Trustees, Ken Masters, added "I'm thrilled that we have been shortlisted for one of the most prestigious awards in football. Sound governance and financial management, good executive and operations management, committed and hard working staff, diverse, inclusive projects and activities; bring it all together and naturally we are very proud of the work that we do."

The awards night takes place on Thursday 28th November in London where industry experts from across the Country will gather to celebrate another ground breaking year in the world of football.

It’s been 14 years since a Bristol Rovers Women’s Team have crossed the white line and graced the famous blue & white quarters. But back in April, Bristol Rovers Community Trust were delighted to announce the re-launch of the ‘Gas Girls’ for the upcoming 2019/20 season.

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The Community Trust hosted six ‘Open Sessions’ at Lockleaze Sports Centre, where over 100 girls attended to be a part of the new first team and development squads who will play in the Gloucestershire Women’s Football League Division One & Two, respectfully.

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Co-Founder and Media Manager, Matthew Davies, said: “It’s been an incredible few Months since we made the announcement back in April. The ‘Open Sessions’ were a huge success and we feel that we have two squads that fulfil the ethos and culture that we are trying to create. The support that we’ve received and our partners at Bristol Rovers Supporters Club, Brunel Group, Lockleaze Sports Centre, Crossed Swords 1883 and B24/7 have really helped us to lay the foundations and start the process of building our structure as a club. We can’t thank them enough.”

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“As a huge advocate for Women’s Football, I’m delighted that we’ve been able to get the ‘Gas Girls’ up and running and I can’t wait to get the season up and running.”

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Co-Founder and First Team Manager, Nathan Hallett-Young, added: “All of the girls have conducted themselves brilliantly during pre-season and it’s their passion to play for the shirt that has made things so much easier for us. We are a brand-new squad and it will obviously take time for us to be firing on all cylinders, but I’m confident that the characters that we have in both squads, we will be able make that transition a lot smoother.”

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“It’s been a long wait but finally we’re here and ready to go. The support that we’ve received from fans all over the World has been tremendous and we know that girls get a great kick out of the messages they receive.”

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Last Sunday the Bristol Rovers Women’s Development squad took to the field for the very first time against Gloucester City Ladies in a pre-season friendly. The ‘Gas Girls’ took the spoils with a fantastic 11-1 victory and a huge amount of confidence to take into their first game of the season tomorrow.

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At half-time during today’s match, it will be your opportunity to wish the ‘Gas Girls’ all the best of luck as both squads will be taking to the pitch for a lap of honour. Please give them a cheer as they pass, as we celebrate the re-launch of the ‘Gas Girls’

Introducing Education Graduate, Will Dixon

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust are very proud of our education system and the opportunities that we provide for all of our students. With the right attitude, a good work ethic and a desire to learn and develop, we feel that anyone can benefit from their experience at Bristol Rovers.

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Will Dixon came to use after he finished his GCSE’s and wanted to enhance his learning in the sports industry. Since completing his BTEC level 3 in Sport and continuing into higher education with the Community Trust, Will has successfully be given the role as Assistant Coach for the re-launched ‘Gas Girls’ Development Squad. We spoke to Will about his experiences with the Community Trust.

Hi Will, how long have you been involved with the Community Trust as a student and as a coach?

I’ve been at the Community Trust for 5 years now, during my time at the trust I finished college and university whilst coaching at schools, after school clubs and universities. Along the way I also gained two FA coaching qualifications which were provided by the trust.

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What has been your personal highlight over the last 5 years?

Although graduating from University was amazing, I would say my personal highlight would be scoring from the halfway line at The Mem during a Bristol Rovers staff event. I don’t I’ll ever be able to do that again.

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Since graduating from the Community Trust and ‘Community Coaching’ degree programme, you have successfully become the new ‘Gas Girls’ Development Assistant Coach. How pleased were you to be given this role?

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I was absolutely over the moon when I found out. To be given the opportunity to coach the ‘Gas Girls’ was something very important to me as I’m a huge advocate of women’s football and it’s exciting to see how the club has developed so early on. I can’t wait to season started.

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How has the education system at the Community Trust made a difference to your life?

I think Bristol Rovers has helped me to improve myself as person massively. When I started the course I was quite a shy individual but I believe with the educational system Rovers have, it helps you try new things and take them head on and I believe that’s what gave me the confidence boost, not only at college but in my personal life as well.

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You are another graduate who has furthered your career through hard work and a positive attitude. Would you recommend the BTEC courses at Bristol Rovers to any young persona interested in a career in sport?

I would certainly recommend this course to young person who is interested in this career. There’s a great balance of learning and playing and I believe that the tutors are very supportive and help you to make the right choices through every stage of your development. It’s made a huge difference to my life and I’m sure it will continue to be just as impactful for many others.

The education team at Bristol Rovers Community Trust will once again be opening their doors at The Memorial Stadium and are offering potential new students the opportunity to find out about the exciting post-16 courses that are available. 

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As a registered charity, the Community Trust can offer exciting post-16 courses which combine academic studies with a sporting experience, where students can represent Bristol Rovers Football Club in competitive fixtures. The Trust provides students with a variety of extra-curricular activities, to further their academic progress and enhance desired life skills.

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The courses delivered by the charity aim to improve the motivation, confidence and self-esteem of students on the courses and help to create life changing opportunities as students are supported in improving their employability prospects.

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Head of Education Ed Strange said “We can’t wait to meet our future students and welcome them to Bristol Rovers. The Open Evenings give us an opportunity to showcase the work that we do and of course the tremendous work that our current and former students have achieved since they have been with us. We welcome all potential students and their parents to the Memorial Stadium at our first Open Evening' on Thursday 19th September and we know that you will leave feeling inspired and motivated to take your next step in the sports industry.”

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If you are picking up your GCSE results this coming Thursday, you love sport and you’re unsure what it is you want to do in September? Then you still have the opportunity to apply and join Bristol Rovers Community Trust. Many of our BTEC graduates are continuing their studies and are moving onto higher education. We have a tremendous track record of assisting our students to enrol and continue their studies in America, across the UK and with the Community Trust through a degree programme.

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We are always committed to helping you achieve your goals and we have the successful history to prove it. So register today and come along to one of our ‘Open Evenings’ this academic year. We can give you the opportunities and experiences that many other colleges can’t provide.

The dates for our upcoming 'Open Evenings' are;

Thursday 19th September

Thursday 17th October

Thursday 21st November

Thursday 23rd January

Thursday 12th March

Thursday 7th May

** All 'Open Evenings' start at 7pm **

If you would like to attend, click on the button below.

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You can also download our digital prospectus, where you will be able to find out more about the education team and the community trust.

The Community Trust are thrilled to announce our support for Sands United Bristol FC. SANDS is the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Support charity. The Charity supports anyone affected by the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth.

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Every 90 minutes in the UK, the length of a football match a baby will die before, during or shortly after birth. That equates to 15 babies a day, 105 each week – 105 families in the UK each week that Sands are there to support.

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A new way of providing support is through the Sands United Football team. These teams provide an outlet of support to bereaved dads, brothers, uncles, grandads, nephews and cousins. Men can often struggle to talk about how they are feeling, especially around the taboo subject of losing a baby. Many men feel they must be strong for their partners and other family members.

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The Sands United Bristol FC team was started by Pete Byrom from the Bristol Sands support group, in January 2019. With the help of social and local media, the squad has now recruited around 30 players. They have held 3 training sessions so far and will hold their launch game on 28th September Vs Cardiff Sands Utd at Lockleaze Sports Centre at 5pm.

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Bristol Rovers Football Club and Bristol Rovers Community Trust are thrilled to be able to donate a full kit and sponsor the Sands United Bristol team. Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said; “Bristol Sands is a fantastic charity doing incredible work. I was so moved by the support that the group gives to each other and we are delighted to be able to help them raise more awareness.”

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Team Manager, Pete Byrom, said; “We have been incredibly lucky along the way to get the support of local media to reach out to so many guys who have been affected by the loss of a baby. We are grateful for the support of Bristol Rovers and the Community Trust. They have been kind enough to donate our home kit to us as well as the use of the 3G facility at Lockleaze for our launch game as well as hosting myself, the club’s treasurer John Ross here at the game today. We are really excited about the partnership and look forward to developing it further.”

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Sands Utd Bristol FC are still welcoming new players and can be contacted at –

Bristolsandsunitedfc2019@gmail.com – email or search for ‘Sands United Bristol FC’ on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Website – bristol.sands.org.uk

Twitter - @bristolsands

Facebook - @BristolSandsInfo

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For anyone who’d like to make a donation to Bristol Sands to enable them to continue providing support to bereaved parents please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sands-bristol

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to announce a new partnership with ‘Goals Beyond Grass’ which will introduce the very first Bristol Rovers Powerchair Football Team.

Powerchair football is a unique sport that provides opportunities for people with a high level of impairment to access the game of football. It is the only active team participation sport for people who use electric wheelchairs. The game is for anyone who uses a powered wheelchair or those who have limited movement in a manual wheelchair. The sport is fast-paced, dynamic and very enjoyable to watch. The unique nature of powerchair football allows all ages, disabilities and both genders to compete together

The team will represent The Gas in the 2020/21 season and will affiliate into the Gloucestershire League after an initial taster session and a selection of friendlies throughout the year for participants to get used to the sport.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said; “Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to have formed a partnership with Goals Beyond Grass to launch Bristol Rovers Powerchair Football Club. We currently work with a wide range of groups across the City, but want to ensure that all members of our community should be able to engage in physical and social activity. We want to guarantee that everyone, regardless of physical, mental or learning impairments have the opportunity to take part in sport and represent Bristol Rovers FC. The formation of our Powerchair football team helps us towards that aim.”

Goals Beyond Grass was founded two years ago when CEO Brian Dix fell in love with the sport of powerchair football and was determined to engage with more people with physical disabilities and to offer more opportunities to get involved with the sport.

He said; “The biggest thing for us is participation and I was always very keen to set up a team in Bristol. Jason Lee (The Disability Officer) at the GFA put me in touch with Bristol Rovers Community Trust who were very enthusiastic about the project. We know there’s a lot of people in Bristol who could play Powerchair football so for us it was a no brainer to link up with a Community Trust that has a fantastic reputation.”

“As soon as an individual comes to one of our taster sessions, they instantly fall in love with powerchair football, which is why it’s become the fastest growing disability sport in the UK. When I first got involved with the sport 5 years ago, there were around 70 clubs but we now have 105 and the figure continues to increase. It’s a fully inclusive sport and everyone is welcome to take part and give it a go.”

The first taster session that takes place at Easton Leisure Centre (BS5 0SW), on Saturday 5th October starting at 11am until 3pm, is available to any person who is able to demonstrate a control of the chair and the rest of the sport can be taught by the professionally trained coaches.

For further information about the new Bristol Rovers powerchair football team, please visit - http://www.goalsbeyondgrass.co.uk/.

To book a taster session, please contact powerchairfootball@bristolroverscommunity.org.uk

Brothers Darren and Nathan Gould have completed the 50km 'TrekFest' challenge across the Brecon Beacons last weekend, raising an incredible £1,159.99 for Bristol Rovers Community Trust.

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The grueling trek across some of the most picturesque locations in the UK started on Saturday morning and continued through some demanding terrain, venturing to Pen-Y-Fan which is the highest point in South Wales. This incredible mountain range runs through the centre of South Wales and is a training ground of the SAS throughout the year.

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Darren Gould, said; The day started early and we stepped off at 07:00, fortunately there was some cloud cover throughout the day which meant that the warm weather which we have been experiencing lately didn’t have to much of an effect.  The first blisters come on at around 15 miles and we began to climb Pen Y Fan at about 22 miles.  Once we reached the summit the Rovers shirts came out of our bags for the photo but due to the cloud cover there wasn’t actually much to see from the top and reality soon hit home that there was still another 10 miles to go!  The final 5-6 miles were a real slog and there was a big sense of achievement between us once we actually crossed finished line at around 17:00.  Nathan quoted it as the most physically demanding thing that he had ever done, and for me, it is the hardest thing I have done since leaving the army but both of us thoroughly enjoyed the challenge."

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Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said; "We cannot thank Darren and Nathan enough for their hard work and fundraising over the last few Months. To complete the TrekFest challenge is an incredible achievement and the boy's should be very proud of what they have done. Everyone at the Community Trust was delighted to see the lads safely complete the challenge and we hope that their feet recovery quickly. We look forward to welcoming the lads down to the Memorial Stadium as thank you from the Community Trust."

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If you would like to donate to the TrekFest 'Just Giving' page, please click on the button below.

Congratulations to Ollie Clarke who is our PFA Community Champion of year.

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Ollie has been the key to our successful player appearances this season and his extraordinary efforts has helped us engage with hundreds of young people in the community. He has been our liaison between the Community Trust and the first team squad, which has made the organisation of player visits easier than ever before.

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Ollie has constantly stepped up to the plate at every visit he has attended. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank Ollie for his hard work and his commitment and we look forward to working with him closely in the future.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are hosting our fantastic football Summer Fun Days during the coming school break. They are open to boys and girls aged 6 – 13 years old for only £10 per day.

The days run from 10am – 3pm and will be based at the brand new 6 million-pound Lockleaze Sports Centre, Bonnington Walk, BS7 9XF. Each day involves learning new skills, lots of games and making new friends.

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Items to bring:

·         Packed lunch & plenty of drink

·         Appropriate clothing for outdoor weather including a rain jacket and a possible change of clothes

·         Appropriate footwear for 3G astro e.g. football trainers, astro’s, or small moulded studs are best.

·         Shin pads

·         Sun cream in hot weather 

Dates for the coming school holidays are:

·         Tuesday 30th July

·         Wednesday 31st July

·         Thursday 1st August

·         Tuesday 6th August

·         Wednesday 7th August

·         Thursday 8th August

·         Tuesday 13th August

·         Wednesday 14th August

·         Thursday 15th August

·         Tuesday 20th August

·         Wednesday 21st August

·         Thursday 22nd August

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to have been presented with another award following winning last year's Bristol Life Charity of the Year 2018.

The Community Trust were last night awarded the Gloucestershire Football Association, Grassroots Project of the Year.

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Nominees for the awards highlighted the outstanding grassroots and community work the Trust is involved with, including their adult and youth disability sessions, Wildcats sessions for 5-11 year old girls and their Walking Football groups. The nominees also were highly impressed with the development of Bristol Rovers Women's FC and the Trust's mental health football programme delivered in association with AWP NHS Trust. The 'Recovery Through Sport' project aims to improve peoples mental and physical wellbeing through the power of sport.

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The awards, that took place at The Bristol Golf Club, were attended by football clubs from across Bristol and Gloucestershire.

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Adam Tutton, Chief Executive Officer at Bristol Rovers Community Trust said, "We are honoured to have been recognised by the GFA for our work within grassroots football. We are constantly seeking new ways of engaging people within football, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds or age. Much of the work we do would not be possible without the financial support and expertise of the staff at Gloucestershire Football Association, so a big thanks must go to them."

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Ken Masters, Chair of Trustees for Bristol Rovers Community Trust and recipient of the award said, 'We are delighted to have received tonight's award for Grassroots Project of the Year. The work that we are currently undertaking is incredibly important to both the Trust and Football Club and we are delighted to be recognised amongst so many fantastic clubs who are having such a positive impact across our communities."

The Community Trust have received an incredibly generous £5,000 donation by the Bristol Rovers Supporters Club, to assist the re-launched Bristol Rovers Women’s and Under 18 teams.

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The Bristol Rovers Supporters Club have made a huge impact on many projects related to the club including the Academy and of course, the work that the trust does in the local community. This donation will help the community trust to develop and grow the brand-new Bristol Rovers Women’s Team which was announced last week.

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The announcement of the return of the ‘Gas Girls’ has received nationwide media attention and a hugely positive response by supporters and the local community. Registrations for the upcoming ‘Open Training Sessions’ at Lockleaze Sports Centre are still coming in thick and fast.

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust CEO, Adam Tutton, said: “Bristol Rovers Supporters Club have always been incredibly supportive of the work that we do in the community and this latest gesture is testament to the fantastic work that they do for our football club and the community trust. The women’s game is growing at such a fast pace and this donation will help us to continue developing our women’s and girls programme. I’d like to thank the supporters club for this incredibly kind donation and for their continued support.”

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to announce the launch of a Senior Women’s team and an Under 18’s team for the forthcoming 2019/20 season.

Bristol Rovers Women’s have formally applied to enter the Gloucestershire County Women’s Football League while an Under 18’s team has applied to enter the Gloucestershire FA Under 18’s League. It will be the first time since 2005 that the blue and white quarters of Bristol Rovers will be represented in the English Women’s Football Pyramid.

The Gas Girls were initially formed in 1998, starting out in the South West League and in 2005, Bristol Rovers Women’s FC became known as Bristol Academy WFC under a new partnership agreement with South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. In 2011 the club changed its name to Bristol Academy WFC in 2011 and finally became Bristol City Women’s Football Club in 2015.

Adam Tutton, Community Trust CEO and Women's Chairman said "We are thrilled to announce the relaunch of the Gas Girls. Over the last 18 months our Women's and Girls football provision has grown enormously, culminating in a Wembley Stadium appearance for our EFL U13 Girl's team from Mangotsfield School. To support this growth and further encourage females to play football across Bristol, we have decided to reform Bristol Rovers Women, aka the Gas Girls. The team will initially be a competitive, participation based club open to all abilities rather than a focus on elite level football. We hope to give as many women and girls, regardless of background, the choice to represent Bristol Rovers.

Head of Women’s and Girls football at Bristol Rovers Community Trust, Nathan Hallett-Young, said “The development of the women’s game is growing at a considerable rate across the country and I’ve witnessed the growth first hand with my role over the last few years. A participant focused senior women’s team is the next logical step for our programme to progress and I can’t wait to get started and continue to develop the women’s game under the banner of Bristol Rovers Community Trust.”

Matthew Davies, Community Trust Media Manager and Women’s Secretary said “As a huge advocate of women’s and girls football, I’m delighted to be a part of the newly formed Bristol Rovers Women’s Team. Everyone at the Community Trust is passionate about the development of the women’s game and I’m looking forward to helping the club develop, grow and progress.”

Bristol Rovers Women’s will be recruiting players throughout May, June and July at the £6m Lockleaze Sports Centre, the new home of Bristol Rovers Women’s. If you would to attend one of the open training sessions or find out more, please click on the link below and register.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are happy to confirm that next years BTEC Level 3 in Sport provision has been moved from Futsal to a 11 a-side football programme.

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The new football programme will still be an accredited EFL League which will give our students the opportunity to play against other students from Bristol City, Reading, Swindon, Plymouth, Newport, Exeter and Cheltenham Town.

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As well as the league, we will be entered into a national cup competition, where teams such as Manchester City, Leeds United, Southampton, Sunderland and West Brom will all be involved.

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Our day to day schedule and training venue at Lockleaze Sports Centre will remain the same.

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Recruitment Officer, Jack Richardson, said: " We're really excited to offer the 11 a-side programme to our new and current students. I feel that it gives us more opportunities for our students and it offers an attractive package for those who are interested in taking their first steps into the sports industry."

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We have our final 'Open Evening' of the academic year on Thursday 9th May at The Memorial Stadium from 7pm. If you are interested in finding out more about the new programme and the course overall, please register below and come along.

Not many people have the honour of gracing the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium but for eight girls from Mangotsfield, that box has already been ticked. The girls, representing Bristol Rovers earned their place in the EFL Girls Cup Final by winning 22 games across three tournaments to meet a School representing Sunderland at Wembley Stadium before the Checkatrade Trophy Final between Portsmouth and Sunderland.

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After an overnight stay on the Saturday evening, the squad party made the short journey to the stadium to receive the all-star treatment. The girls got to see what happens behind the scenes at a major event in the stadium with an exclusive tour of the facilities before heading back to their changing rooms ahead of the Final.

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Once kitted up and ready to go, England International and Arsenal star Jordan Nobbs paid a visit to the changing rooms to meet the girls and gave them some inspirational words before they prepared to set out onto the pitch.

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Then comes that one moment that every football fan will dream of experiencing. Walking onto the pitch at Wembley Stadium. Player Hannah Long (13) said: “Walking onto that pitch was unreal and I kept on thinking that this is a once in a lifetime experience. Not many Premier League players have the opportunity of playing at a Cup Final here so to be able to do it at the age of 13 is really special.”

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The match started well for the ‘Gas Girls’ as midfielder Jess Harvey (13) powered home a shot from distance which nestled into the bottom, less than a minute into the game. A perfect start to proceedings for Rovers. Despite the perfect start, Sunderland came back into the game and got an equaliser just before the half-time whistle. The second half continued with Sunderland on the front foot and soon took the lead with some excellent build up play. The game was done and dusted when ‘The Black Cats’ made it three with just a couple of minutes on the look. Despite the 3-1 loss, the girls from Mangotsfield dug in deep and didn’t stop until the final kick of the game.

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Head of Women’s and Girl’s Football at Bristol Rovers Community Trust, Nathan Hallet-Young, said: “Getting to the EFL Girls Cup Final is an extraordinary achievement and myself and my colleague Matthew are incredibly proud of the way the girls have conducted themselves throughout this journey. They are winners in our eyes, regardless of the result in the Final.”

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After the full-time whistle, the girls took to the steps of the royal box to collect their medals and runners up plate. What an unbelievable experience for these group of girls, which we hope will give them the confidence to keep on playing football for many years to come. Congratulations girls!

Next Month will see the most talented players from around the country take on each other in a regionalised festival at St. George’s Park to showcase the growing game of Futsal.

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The Gas will be represented by Head Futsal Coach Jack Richardson who will be co-coaching the South West Regional ‘All Star’ team, while players Jasper Marsh and Cameron Moore have been included in the 12-man squad that will compete against players from The Midlands, The North and The South East.

Futsal Coach, Jack Richardson said, “Cam and Jasper have been selected this year which is a big credit to them as they’ve done really well throughout the season. I’m also really proud to have been selected as one of the Head Coaches to represent the South West region. It will be the first time I’ve been to St George’s Park so I’m very excited to be coaching at a fantastic venue.”

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At last year’s inaugural ‘All Star’ Futsal Tournament, The South West which consisted of two Bristol Rovers graduates, were crowned champions in a highly competitive afternoon of fixtures. Both students have now gone on to further their careers in higher education, with one of the students residing, studying and competing in the USA.

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Jack added, “This programme is brilliant. I did this course when I was 16 and really gives you an insight into the footballing World and it is prefect for someone who wants to take their first steps into the industry. Graduates do go on to progress themselves and opportunities like this offer invaluable experience that other courses may not be able to provide.”

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The Community Trust will be hosting an open day for the Futsal Education Programme, which is open to male and female players aged 16-18, on Thursday 9th May from 7.00pm - 8.30pm at The Memorial Stadium. If you are interested in attending and finding out more about the course, please click on the button below to register…

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Everyone at Bristol Rovers Community Trust wish Jack, Cameron and Jasper the best of luck at the ‘All Stars’ Tournament which takes place on Wednesday 3rd April at St George’s Park.

Brothers Darren and Nathan Gould are preparing to take on the TrekFest challenge, which consists of a 50km hike through the Brecon Beacons mountain ranges and Pen-Y-Fan, this coming July to raise money for Bristol Rovers Community Trust.

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The season ticket holders are raising money for the Community Trust after experiencing first-hand the work which The Trust provides throughout Bristol, whilst solely relying on grants and donations. The Community Trust have also launched their ‘Just Giving’ page which gives supporters the opportunity to fundraise for the affiliated charity of Bristol Rovers. Whether it’s a bake sale, a video game tournament or a 50km Trek, every penny that you raise will go back into the Community.

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Darren, an ex-Grenadier Guardsman told us “Initially we decided to take on this challenge to keep fit but then we saw the option of choosing to raise money for a chosen charity and obviously the club meaning so much to us, we decided to nominate Bristol Rovers Community Trust because of the fantastic work that they do.”

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Community Trust education graduate and season ticket holder, Nathan Gould said “I think in the last year the Community Trust has come on leaps and bounds and we’ve seen the amazing opportunities that they offer to those who are less fortunate than most Any donation, big or small will go a long way, not only to help support myself and Darren but to the Community Trust as well. Preparations are going OK, but I know how difficult it’s going to be. Within the next couple of Month’s, we should be fit and ready to take on the challenge.”

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Everyone at Bristol Rovers Community Trust would like to thank Darren and Nathan for their incredible gesture and we wish them a safe and enjoyable journey through the Brecon Beacons this Summer. Please support their fundraiser by donating whatever you can via their Just Giving page. Click on the button below to donate today.

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The Community Trust are delighted to confirm the dates for the upcoming Easter 'Fun Days' at Lockleaze Sports Centre. 

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We are now taking bookings for;

Thursday 11th April

Friday 12th April

Monday 15th April

Tuesday 16th April

Each day starts at 10am and finishes at 3pm

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We anticipate another busy couple of days and we urge you to book early to avoid disappointment. For more information, click on the button below

On Monday, the girl’s were given a surprise visit from the EFL Checkatrade Trophy to mark their achievements.

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The girl’s from Mangotsfield Secondary School started their journey to Wembley after their triumph in the local round against 14 other schools, which was organised by Bristol Rovers Community Trust.

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They then went on to represent Bristol Rovers in the area finals held in Newport and after successfully qualifying from that round, they reached the regional finals on Monday 25th February and successfully qualified for the Grand Final after beating teams representing Gillingham, Colchester Utd and Reading.

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CEO of Bristol Rovers Community Trust, Adam Tutton said, "Bristol Rovers Community Trust and Bristol Rovers F.C are incredibly proud of the girl's achievements this season.

'Our women's and girl's programme continues to grow at a fast pace and that's a testament to the hard work put in by the coaches and the players. 

'Not many people get the opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium and we look forward to seeing the girls represent the blue and white of Bristol Rovers at the national stadium.'

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The girls now have the exciting and unique prospect of playing a final at Wembley Stadium before the EFL Checkatrade Trophy Final on Sunday 31st March.

Girls from Mangotsfield Secondary School will represent Bristol Rovers in the Grand Final of the EFL Girl's Cup, on the famous turf at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 31st March.

The girl's travelled to Northampton University to take part in the Southern Regional Finals to compete with other school's representing Reading, Colchester and Gillingham. 

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The tournament didn't get off to the best starts, with Rovers falling to Colchester 5-3, although a convincing 4-2 victory against Gillingham kept the girls in the hunt of qualifying for the final. A win against Reading would give the girls a superb opportunity to finish second in the group and it couldn't have started better. Rovers took a 3-0 lead before half time and managed to cling onto the win with a 3-2 victory and ensure a place in the final against group winners Reading.

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In the final, Rovers pressed high and took advantage by taking an early 2-0 lead. For the remaining 15 minutes, Rovers held back a strong Reading team and despite conceding a late goal, the girls did enough to clinch the win and a date at Wembley for the EFL Girl's Cup Final.

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Nathan Hallet-Young, Head of Women's & Girl's at Bristol Rovers Community Trust said, "We're all incredibly proud of the girl's and they fully deserve the chance to play at Wembley after the hard work they have put in today and in the previous tournaments.

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"The level of football was very high and we really had to dig in to make sure we did enough to qualify for the Final. Obviously, we can't wait to walk down Wembley Way, especially if Bristol Rovers can join us by beating Sunderland at The Memorial Stadium next week."

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The Grand Final takes place before The Checkatrade Cup Final on Sunday 31st March at Wembley Stadium. 

Bristol Rovers FC and Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to have been ‘twinned’ with HMP Bristol to help tackle the high UK reoffending rate.

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Launched in October 2018, the Twinning Project aims to bring together leading professional football clubs and prisons across the UK to use football as a catalyst for change, to provide real opportunities to better prepare prisoners for release, find employment and reduce reoffending which is a huge cost to both the country and local communities.

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32 football clubs, including Bristol Rovers, have agreed to engage in the Twinning Project and pair with their local prison. Through the initiative, selected football clubs, in conjunction with other football bodies, will work with PE officers from the Prison Service to deliver coaching, stewarding, lifestyle skills and other employability-based qualifications to prisoners in order to help prepare them for release. Additionally, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) will deliver refereeing courses. These qualifications will provide a vital route to paid employment which has been proven as a key factor in reducing reoffending and helping prisoners to rebuild their lives.

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Adam Tutton, Community Trust CEO commented: “We are delighted to have been selected to twin with HMP Bristol. Currently in the UK, 63.8% of adults reoffend in the first 12 months after release and lack of paid employment on release is the number 1 issue for reoffending. The support and qualifications we are able to offer these offenders will help rebuild their lives and offer them routes into paid employment, as well as reducing the huge financial burden reoffending costs the UK taxpayer”.

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Other clubs involved with the Twinning Project include Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to announce the launch of our new programme aimed at supporting children in care across the city. The ‘Our City, Our Children’, programme has been made possible by funding from the EFL Trust Innovation Fund. The aim of the fund is to support the development of projects that have the potential to be scaled up nationally across the EFL network of 72 clubs.

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This new Bristol Rovers project involves the clubs charity working in partnership with The HOPE School, Bristol City Council’s Virtual School for Children in Care.

In Bristol alone there are 695 looked after children on register, while the total number of looked after children in the UK has increased from 62,500 in 2010 to 65,420 in 2018.

Ken Masters, Bristol Rovers Community Trust Chairman who has worked closely on developing the programme said, “We are delighted that our programme has succeeded in gaining funding from the EFL Trust.  In Bristol and the rest of country the educational gap between outcomes for children in care and their peers who are not looked after is hugely significant. As well as this looked after children in Bristol also score poorly in terms of attendance when compared to children who are not looked after. Our programme will aim to tackle these issues and give these children the support they desperately need”.

The aims of the innovative Rovers programme are to improve outcomes in English and Math’s for both KS2 and KS4 children in care, improve attendance figures and engagement for children in care as well as develop educational and employment pathways for these young people.

The project itself involves a group of children visiting the Memorial Stadium where they will receive targeted tutoring and support in both Math’s and English. The children will be engaged using the power of football and the brand of Bristol Rovers, as well as taking part in a creative photography project where they will have access to behind the scenes at a working football club. Students are also given the opportunity to attend Rovers matches while being supported and mentored by Hope school staff.

The Community Trust are delighted to confirm the dates for the upcoming Half Term 'Fun Days' at Lockleaze Sports Centre. 

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We are now taking bookings for;

Thursday 21st February

Friday 22nd February

10am - 3pm each day

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We anticipate another busy couple of days and we urge you to book early to avoid disappointment. For more information, click on the button below

Mangotsfield Secondary School have progressed to the Area Finals of the EFL Trust U13’s Girls Cup after winning the regional tournament in Newport on Thursday. Representing Bristol Rovers, the girls from Mangotsfield finished second in their qualifying group after beating Exeter City in the Final.

The girls started the tournament with a 2-1 defeat against Exeter City who they would eventually meet in the Final but a 2-0 victory against Forest Green Rovers and a 2-1 triumph against Swansea City ensured that the girls would progress to the semi-finals. The Mangotsfield girls were drawn against City rivals Bristol City and after a tense, even match the game was deadlocked at 0-0. Rovers soaked up the pressure and took the spoils with a 3-2 win on penalties.

Rovers kept their composure and grew in confidence as the day progressed which enabled them to secure a 1-0 win against Exeter City, to be crowned as Regional Winners of the EFL Trust Girls Cup. The squad will now head to Northampton in a couple of Months to take part in the area Finals, where the winner will get the opportunity to play the overall Final on the pitch at Wembley Stadium.

Head of Women’s & Girl’s football, Nathan Hallet-Young said “We’re really proud of the girls from Mangotsfield and naturally we’re delighted to have progressed to the next stage of the EFL Trust Girls Cup. Their confidence grew throughout the tournament and they thoroughly deserved to win the competition. As a Community Trust we have a big passion for Women’s & Girl’s football and it’s fantastic to see so many girls getting involved with the beautiful game. We now engage with hundreds of girls throughout the season and it’s pleasing to see football is becoming a front runner in female sport participation. We now look ahead to the next phase of the competition where the girls will be battling it out to be able to walk onto the pitch at Wembley Stadium.”

Bristol Rovers Community Trust returned to 'The Wild Goose Cafe' last week, to help serve over 200 Christmas dinners to some of the vulnerably housed individuals in Bristol. Rovers Captain Tom Lockyer and midfielder Stuart Sinclair took a few hours out of their schedule to assist 'The Wild Goose Cafe' on one of their busiest days of the year.

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Andy Kinglsey, Deputy Manager of The Wild Goose Cafe said, "We serve around 400 meals everyday and everything is always free for the homeless community in Bristol. It's a wonderful connection that we have with Bristol Rovers and we are thrilled to have established a great relationship with the club after the snow storm that we endured earlier this year. Rovers are a community club and we work in the local community and to have the two combine is absolutely wonderful."

Adam Tutton, CEO of Bristol Rovers Community Trust said "It's really important for the trust and the football club to be involved today and we're really lucky to have Tom Lockyer and Stuart Sinclair to help us support the Christmas dinner serving at The Wild Goose Cafe. Andy approached us last week to see if we could offer our support and we were more than happy to come down and continue the great relationship that we have with the Cafe."

Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Bristol Rovers Community Trust, Ken Masters, was fully supportive of the work that's being done at the cafe. "It's an honour for us to be able to help some of the vulnerable and less fortunate people in our great City by supporting the Christmas dinner serving. The work that the cafe does on a day to day basis is extraordinary and I'm happy that we have been able to support the army of volunteers to successfully feed over 200 people."

The cafe is also on the lookout for donations to help "Spruce the Goose" and improve the current facilities that are on offer. If you would like to donate to this terrific community charity, please click on the link below to find out more.

https://www.crisis-centre.org.uk/sprucingthegoose.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust welcomed the team from 'Show Racism the Red Card' to The Memorial Stadium last week for an educational event with 90 year 5 & 6 students from the local area.

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Gavin Sutherland from (SRtRC) said "We've been hosting workshops about racism, hate crime and educate these young people about what it is and how they can report it. They will also be lucky enough to meet Tom Lockyer and Ollie Clarke and have the opportunity to ask them questions about their experiences. We work with around 30 to 40 football clubs throughout the season so we can work with as many young people as possible to be able to talk about these issues"

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"We work with a lot of year 5 and year 6 pupils who are on the verge of going into high school and it's good to make them aware of these issues before they get there, in case they potentially experience them themselves. It's been a fantastic day and it makes such a difference to have players supporting the message and it has a big influence on the young people. It's certainly something that they will remember for a long time."

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust were thrilled to host and sponsor this year's Bristol Multi-Faith Form (Love Your Neighbour Awards) at the Memorial Stadium last Month. 

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This event is being supported by the Community Trust, off the back of the 'Kick it Out, Fans for Diversity' event that we hosted earlier this year. Hosting the awards showcases some of the work that the Trust are doing in many different communities and social groups in Bristol.

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Councillor Tom Aditya (Chairman of the Bristol Multi-Faith Forum) said, "What thing that we are doing is spreading the love, the fraternity and the brotherhood and I'm very happy that Bristol Rovers Football Club and the Community Trust came together to support us tonight. The club is a big asset in Bristol and an important figure in our community"

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With Bristol being one of the most diverse cities in the Country, it isn't always reflected within the demographics standing on the terraces. One thing that the Community Trust is striving for is to make sure that all social and ethnic groups are made to feel welcome at Bristol Rovers and hosting events like this will help the club reach out to others. 

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Community Trust Manager, Matt Bennett said "We want to make people know that Bristol Rovers is an inclusive club, we're open to anyone regardless of your religion, background or where you come from, the one thing that can bring people together is football and the support of one club and if you wanted to attend a Bristol Rovers match, you will be made to feel welcome and a part of the family.

The football community unites to show their backing for the rainbow laces campaign, with tonight’s fixture against Gillingham becoming our fixture of support for this ground-breaking initiative.

The Rainbow Laces campaign is a way for everyone involved in sport to show their support for LGBT equality and inclusivity. National teams, leading clubs, top athletes, fans and grassroots players are lacing up to Come Out for LGBT people in sport. In 2017, the campaign had its most successful year yet with over 75,000 rainbow laces being distributed in all areas of sport from top athletes, officials, supporters and grassroots participants.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are doing their bit to support the LGBT community in Bristol with a new partnership with the Bristol Panthers, Bristol’s premier LGBT football club. The Panthers have gained some much-deserved media publicity in recent weeks for the outstanding work they have done to establish themselves as one of the leading LGBT groups in the area that believes in providing everyone with a fun, supportive environment to play football, learn new skills (or sharpen old ones!) and make friends.

Pete Davey from the Bristol Panthers said “We’ve spoken to Bristol Rovers very recently as we felt that there hasn’t been much visibility from football clubs in our City, saying that we stand alongside our LGBT community. Bristol Rovers Community Trust invited some us as guests to the Wimbledon match last Month where we were delighted to establish a positive relationship with the football club. Since then we were invited to take part in the club’s official remembrance fixture with the British Army (Corps of Signals) football team. Traditionally you don’t think of the army and an LGBT football team playing against each other but between us we’ve broken down a barrier.”

“The rainbow laces campaign is a great initiative to help gain more visibility and raise more awareness of LGBT issues at football club’s but there’s always more that can be done in society. We’re looking forward to working with Bristol Rovers in the future and beyond.”

Everyone at Bristol Rovers understands the importance of reaching out to everyone person in our community regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexuality and creating a friendly and safe environment for our supporters will only benefit our club in the long term. There’s still some way to go but initiatives like the rainbow laces campaign is something that will always have the full support of Bristol Rovers Community Trust.

If you would like to find out more about the Bristol Panthers, you can check out their website (www.bristolpanthers.com) or follow them on Twitter (@Bristolpanthers) and Facebook (@bristolpanthersfc)

Last night Bristol Rovers Community Trust hosted their mental health awareness evening titled ‘Feeling Blue? And White’.

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The event saw current players Kyle Bennett and Stuart Sinclair team up with former players Ryan Clarke & Lee Mansell to form a panel which discussed mental health and wellbeing. Adam Tutton from the Community Trust and Jacob Kelly a mental health professional also took part in the discussion.

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The evening had a huge turnout of nearly 200 people, which included fans of the club, the local community and mental health professionals. The panel talked very openly about difficult times they had faced in their life and shared their experience with depression, bereavement, gambling and pressures from modern life.

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The evening helped raise nearly £600 which will support the work the Community Trust is doing around mental health and its ‘Recovery Through Sport’ programme.

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The Trust would like to offer a massive thanks to everyone who attended the event. Matt Bennett, Community Manager, said ‘it was overwhelming to see the size of the turnout, we were expecting around 60-70 people, but to have nearly 200 was truly amazing. Mental health is still a taboo subject, especially within football. The aim of the night was to help break the stigma of mental health and give people the confidence to talk about such issues in an open and honest way without fear of being judged. We wanted to also connect people with the support groups that exist in the local area that do amazing work within mental health.’

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If you want to find out more about the Trusts ‘Recovery Through Sport’ programme, or if you wish to donate towards this cause please visit www.bristolroverscommunity.org.uk

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Any money raised will help support people in need within our community.

The Gas were back out in the community once again to support the local English Schools Primary Tournament at the Gloucestershire Football Association last week. Rovers first team players Jack Bonham and Alex Rodman were special guests as twelve schools from the South Gloucestershire area battled it out to qualify for the regional tournament which takes place in the new year.

Tournament organiser Kim Hazledean said "The tournaments we've arranged so far this season have been a tremendous success with something excellent team performances on display. The support that we have received from Bristol Rovers Community Trust has really helped us to make these tournaments extra special. We've had the Community Trust BTEC students on hand to help referee games and to be in the presence of first team players is huge for the young people involved in our tournaments".

Bristol Rovers Community Trust would like to invite fans of the club, and people from the local community, to join them at the Memorial Stadium on Wednesday 14th November for a very special event. In partnership with the Former Players Association, the Community Trust are holding an evening titled ‘Feeling Blue? And White’.

This will be an enjoyable evening to promote personal wellbeing and to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health. The evening will have guest speakers including former players Lee Mansell and Ryan Clarke as well as current 1st team players Stuart Sinclair and Kyle Bennett. They will be joined by mental health professionals and take part in a panel to discuss the highs and lows of their careers and how these have affected their mental health. The concept of the evening is to spark conversation and debate with the wide range of people in attendance, and be able to give details about where support for mental health can be found.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are committed to supporting the people within its local community and offer opportunities to make a positive impact on their lives. Mental health is a topic that is still rarely spoken about within professional sport, particularly within football. As the number one sport in this country, Bristol Rovers believe it is vitally important that football takes a lead on tackling the taboos that surround mental health. 

The event starts at 7pm on Wednesday 14th November at The Memorial Stadium. This is a FREE event, with a suggested donation of £5 which will enter you into a prize draw. There will be a free buffet on offer and the bar will be open to purchase drinks. The fans of the club will also have the opportunity to ask their own questions to the players on the panel. Come and have your share say on this important topic that touches so many of our lives.  

We look forward to seeing many of you at The Mem for this event and if you want any further details please email Matt Bennett, the Community Manager, on info@bristolroverscommunity.org.uk

Rovers Stars Joe Partington, Ed Upson and Gavin Reilly joined our Community Trust at Yate Academy last week to help us support the English Schools Football Girls Football Tournament.

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The girls only 7 a-side competition consisted of 20 Primary Schools with nearly 200 players from year 5 and 6 taking part, all aiming to reach the Gloucestershire County Finals in December.

In partnership with Premier League Primary Stars, the Community Trust were delighted to support this highly successful, annual event.

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Joe Partington said, “It’s great that there’s much more influence in the public eye about girls being accepted into football and tournaments like this is a great opportunity for young girls to see whether they like to play football in the future. The success of the National team has obviously been a major factor and I hope that it continues to make a positive impact.”

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“In regards to working in the Community, it’s something that we all enjoy. It’s part of our role as professional footballers at this massive football club to reach out to people in the community and being able to come down to events like this and offer our support is something that I think is important. It’s great to come out and see what Bristol Rovers is doing as a club to make an impact on young people’s lives."

Last week, The Gas were at Shield Road Primary School to present their football team with their brand-new Premier League Primary Stars football kit.

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First team players James Clarke and Tom Nichols were on hand to help us present the kit and take part in a Q&A session with the whole school in a special assembly.

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Shield Road were one of the many Primary Schools across the Country who successfully applied for the Primary Stars Kit and Equipment scheme, giving young people the resources to keep active and play football.

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Available in a variety of styles and colours, this season’s Premier League Primary Stars kit package includes: 14 Nike football shirts and 1 Nike goalkeeper shirt numbered, 15 pairs of shorts and 15 pairs of socks. In addition, there is a special Nike tracksuit for the teacher.

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Head Teacher Jim Mepham said, “Bristol Rovers have worked with us consistently for a long time. They have worked with us on many different successful projects and we want to continue this strong relationship going forward. The kids had a brilliant assembly with our football team wearing the beautiful new kit supplied to us by the Premier League and they had the exciting opportunity to ask questions and meet the first team players. I’d like to thank the players and the staff at the Community Trust for all of their hard work”

The Community Trust are delighted to confirm the dates for the upcoming Half Term 'Fun Days' at Lockleaze Sports Centre. 

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We are now taking bookings for;

Thursday 1st November

Friday 2nd November

10am - 3pm each day

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We anticipate another busy couple of days and we urge you to book early to avoid disappointment. For more information, click on the button below.

Rovers stars Liam Sercombe, Tom Broadbent and Michael Kelly were surprise guests at Emersons Green Primary School last Wednesday, to take part in the BBC and Premier League Primary Stars live lesson being streamed from the Etihad Campus in Manchester.

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The ‘Super Movers’ project is an exciting partnership between the Premier League and BBC which aims to inspire primary school children to get active and learn in a fun and engaging environment. The three Rovers stars were on hand to help over 60 Year 6 students with their work and take part in the interactive lesson.

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Karl Hemmings, the Head Teacher at Emersons Green Primary School said, “The players were amazing. They were so patient and friendly with our children and I could how excited the students were to have them as surprise guests at our School. I know how important the Community Trust is and the work that they do in Bristol, especially with young people and I’m really proud to be working with a real Community club like Bristol Rovers”

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The Community Trust visits over 13 Schools and engages with nearly 400 children every week. Whether it’s academic studies, physical activities or health and dietary education, the Community Trust is committed to improving the lives of young people across the City.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to be taking part in the upcoming BBC 'Super Movers' live lesson at Emersons Green Primary School on Wednesday 19th September.

The lesson will be streamed be streamed live from the Etihad Campus at Manchester City.

Students from across the UK, will be introduced to key geometry concepts in real world scenarios and get hands on with estimating, measuring and calculating, all in a fun-filled, action-packed programme themed around football.

Super Movers is an exciting partnership between the Premier League and BBC which aims to inspire primary school children to get active and the Community Trust are thrilled to be delivering the latest live session at one of our local schools. 

Stars from across the worlds of football and television are brought together to help deliver routines that focus on Literacy and Numeracy which range from fractions to punctuation to times tables. 

Bristol Rovers Community Trust, Primary Stars Lead, Abbie Jones said "These live, online lessons produced by the BBC are a great way being able engage with Primary students. The academic exercises are designed to be delivered using a football theme and the physical activities are a perfect way to encourage students to keep active"

The ‘Bristol Somali Youth Voice’ are launching a community football tournament with support from the ‘Bristol Rovers Community Trust’ which is aimed to promote integration, well-being and the opportunity for young people in the community to socialize with others from various demographics.

The Somali youth group is a voluntary organisation, founded in 2013, that advocates and empowers disadvantaged young people from the inner-city community centre based in Easton. This inspiring community group aim to build a community structure that is responsive to the needs of young people, to strengthen life skills and to use sport, arts and culture to help establish positive links with others in society.

The tournament that takes place at St Pauls Sport Centre (BS2 9NH) on Sunday 9th September, is aimed to promote community cohesion and will be supported by the local police force, which will give participants an opportunity to engage and interact with young people from diverse backgrounds. With Avon & Somerset Police taking part, this will help to engage and develop better relationships with the community without any professional barriers.

The event is also supported by the local councillor for the Hartcliffe Ward, Paul Giga and The Bristol Somali Forum. Volunteers from different community backgrounds will also be attending to offer their support along with ‘BBC Points West’ who will be filming on location.

Networking opportunities kick off at 10:30 with the tournament kicking off from 11am.

For more information about the event please contact

Mohamed

Email: Bristolsomaliyouthvoice@hotmail.com

Tel: 07533736767

Event details;

Date: Sunday 9th September 2018

10:30 am: Photographs & Networking

11:00 am: Kick Off

15:00 – 16:00 pm: Closing ceremony

Venue: St Pauls Sport Centre, Newfoundland Rd, Bristol, BS2 9NH

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to have been donated the back of shirt sponsorship asset for home and away league matches, by new club partner MintBet.

This incredibly generous donation will enable the Community Trust, the official Bristol Rovers charity, the opportunity to raise awareness of our social inclusion, health, education and sports participation projects throughout our community.

Adam Tutton, CEO of the Community Trust said, “As a registered charity this kind donation will enable us to promote the Trust and continue to enhance, elevate and improve the lives of people across Bristol. We thank the new club partners MintBet and the positive impact this donation will have on our charity.

The limited edition match worn shirts will be used to raise funds for the Community Trust’s work.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are hosting our fantastic football Fun Days during the coming school break. They are open to boys and girls aged 6 – 13 years old for only £10 per day.

We are delighted to introduce our brand new booking system which will allow you to make payments securely online. We hope this will greatly improve your booking and registration experience with us on our fun days.

We have a limited number of places available this summer, so to guarantee your space we recommend using the new online payment system. We will still accept cash payments on the day, however we cannot guarantee that spaces will be available.

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The days run from 10am – 3pm and will be based at the brand new 6 million pound Lockleaze Sports Centre, Bonnington Walk, BS7 9XF. Each day involves learning new skills, lots of games and making new friends.

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Make sure that you book early to guarantee your place. To make your booking, please click on the button below

"Finding social activities for young people with additional needs is virtually impossible. I think these sessions are fantastic and the whole team are excellent with the children"

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It's great t hear that our disability sessions were such a big hit, not only for the children, but the parents who have noticed a difference in their child's life. We spoke Arran's Mother, Rachel about the positive effects that these sessions have had on his social and physical lifestyle.

This week marks the start of Bristol Refugee Week and what better way can we celebrate this event than with a community football tournament.

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We proudly supported the 'Bristol City Of Sanctuary' and 'Bristol Refugee Festival' last Saturday at the brand new sports facility at Lockleaze Sports Centre. 

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We spoke to CEO Adam Tutton about the partnership and event organiser Forward Maisokwadzo from 'Bristol City Of Sanctuary' about the tournament that is aimed to unite the whole community.

Bristol Rovers Football Club is inviting local charities to apply to be an official charity partner of the club for the 2018/19 season.

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Each season the club receives many hundreds of requests for signed merchandise or charitable support for worthwhile causes.

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Unfortunately, the club are unable to support all enquiries or requests for help, so they have created a policy to support two local charities alongside the Bristol Rovers Community Trust. Alongside a limited number of national charitable events that are predetermined by the club’s board.

The club's commitment to supporting two local charities is for one season, from 4th August 2018 to 31st May 2019 and we are specifically looking to support charities in the Bristol/South Gloucestershire areas.

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To register their interest in becoming a Bristol Rovers charity for the 2018/19 season, and to discover the benefits of being a charity partner of the football club, charity administrators are invited to request full details and an application form by clicking HERE.

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Closing date for applications is midnight on 15th July and successful parties will be notified no later than 3rd August.

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For further information please contact info@bristolrovers.co.uk.

Bristol Rovers Community Trust are delighted to be working closely with NHS staff to help set up and run a brand new weekly social football group with the goal of improving people's physical and mental wellbeing through sport.

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The Trust was involved in a small pilot project late last year that identified not only improvements in the physical fitness of everyone who attended, but also significant improvements in participants mental wellbeing.

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Adam Tutton, CEO of Bristol Rovers Community Trust said, " This innovative new programme aims to harness the power of sport to improve peoples physical and mental wellbeing. It is open to any adults whether they want to get some exercise, build social networks, gain confidence in being around people or just help improve their wellbeing. We are delighted that the programme is being managed by Mental Health Support Worker Jacob Kelly and Nurse Bob Broomhead, both who have a wealth of experience in this area".

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One of the regular participants from the pilot programme said, "before joining the group I struggled getting out of the house and especially meeting people, but now I feel confident to talk to new people and socialise with others. As well as going to the weekly group, we also gained the opportunity to watch a Bristol Rovers match and walk out on the pitch in front of the crowd which was a brilliant experience. I've found that going to the football group and then standing in front of the Bristol Rovers fans has really helped build my self-confidence as well as improving my physical and mental wellbeing."

The group is open to everyone over 18, male or female, from those who've never played football to the more experienced. The project is part of the Wellbeing College and was created by staff from South Gloucestershire AWP NHS service.

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The sessions will run weekly from Thursday 7th June at 3pm, at Shaftsbury Park, Frenchay Park Road, BS16 1LG. If you would like to attend the group you'll need to register via the link below or if you would like more information please contact the group organisers via email or telephone, details below.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/football-group-recovery-through-sport-tickets-45369907615

Contact details:

Email: Jacob.kelly@nhs.net

Telephone: Jacob 07785342192

Last Thursday (19th May), we were honoured to host a 'Fans for Diversity' discussion at the Memorial Stadium, in partnership with 'Kick it Out'. 

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The session was an opportunity to discuss and debate the issues with discrimination and diversity in football and how Bristol Rovers may be able to improve their link different ethnic and social groups in the City. The panel consisted of first team players Tom Lockyer, Ellis Harrison, former player Dave Gilroy, Community Trust CEO Adam Tutton, Chairman Steve Hamer and supporter Jack Newcombe.

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Uddin, who works for 'Fans for Diversity' said, "This has been a great opportunity to come back to Bristol Rovers and discuss something that I'm really passionate about. I had a brilliant time at Rovers and the supporters were excellent. Debating and discussing diversity in football is the first step that we need to make, to identify any problems or issues that are out there."

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We are absolutely delighted to announce that Bristol Rovers will be partnering with Kick It Out, Fans for Diversity and the Football Supporters Federation for a one of its kind event, with former player Anwar Uddin.

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On Thursday 19th April, we will be hosting a free event at The Memorial Stadium, to discuss the current issues and challenges surrounding discrimination, equality and inclusion within football, with a panel consisting of club officials, staff and first team players including club captain Tom Lockyer, and Ellis Harrison.

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The event is open to all football enthusiasts and local residents who wish to discuss how the sport can further develop inclusive practices which support equality for all and ensure that Rovers are at the forefront of developing community links and celebrating diversity amongst our fanbase.

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Bristol Rovers Community Trust CEO Adam Tutton said, “We are delighted to be working with Fans for Diversity, Kick It Out and the Football Supporters Federation on what we hope will be a productive and informative evening, helping our club to move forward and support communities that are not regularly championed in football.”

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The club is committed to ensuring everyone feels welcome at Bristol Rovers, and is dedicated to embedding itself even further within the local community.

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Former Rovers player Anwar Uddin has been the FSF Diversity and campaigns manager for over three years. “It’s been a privilege for me to lead on the Fans for Diversity campaign over the last three years. It’s really important that with the help of everyone involved in the game, we promote the work of both Kick It Out and the Football Supporters’ Federations, and I believe the Fans for Diversity campaign can be a real benefit to all fans and bring communities closer to their clubs because football is for everybody.”

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The evening will consist of a panel presentation where members of the audience can find out about the work from Kick It Out, Fans for Diversity and the Bristol Rovers Community Trust before a brief networking session where members of the audience can discuss their ideas with others. This will be followed by a question and answer session with panel members and we will also be holding a draw for you to win a signed Rovers shirt.

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This unique and exciting event will take place in the Poplar Insulation suite and the doors open at 7pm. Entry is free and will include a free buffet for all attendees.

The Community Trust was at St. George’s Park for the EFL Trust Futsal and Education All Stars Tournament last Thursday, as two of our BTEC students were selected to represent the South West in a regional tournament. Ben Jeffries and Joe Shutt who study at The Memorial Stadium with our education team were nominated to compete by our futsal coaches to join with players from other clubs from around the South West region, including Exeter City, Newport County, Bristol City, Cheltenham Town and Cardiff City.

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The inaugural All Star Tournament, consisted of 4 regions from The North, The Midlands, The South East and of course The South West who would take part in a round robin group to crown the national champions. Rovers futsal player and student, Joe Shutt was on the scoresheet in the tournament opener despite a 3-2 defeat against The South East.

Despite a fall in the opening the fixture, the South West bounced back with an emphatic 4-0 victory against The Midlands and another 3 points after a 2-0 win against The North. With the three fixtures completed and the results going in our favour, The South West were crowned champions on goal difference.

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Community Trust BTEC Tutor Christopher Bosley said “We are all delighted for Ben and Joe. To be able to play at a facility like St George’s Park is a fantastic opportunity for them both and it’s just an example of what experiences you can have during this course.”

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Community Trust BTEC Student Ben revealed “It’s been a great day, the whole team gelled well straight from the off and it’s been a brilliant experience. I’d recommend the course to anyone who is thinking about applying. It’s given me some fantastic opportunities to progress, just like today”

Whilst the EFL Day of Action was well underway at the training ground, the rest of the community trust team were back at HQ to spend the day with students from St Stephen’s Primary, Shield Road Primary and St. Michaels on the Mount Primary. The three local schools were at The Memorial Stadium to take part in our Premier League Primary Stars ‘Author Day’.

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Throughout the morning, the pupils from each school took part in a journalistic based literacy task with our education team, a guided tour of the stadium and a football skills activity with our community coach. After a jam-packed morning, our guests were treated with a special visit from Dan Freedman, author of the critically acclaimed Jamie Johnson children’s books. The successful writer has sold over 750,000 copies of his books around the world and has recently launched the ‘Jamie Johnson’ TV series on CBBC.

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Freedman is the perfect ambassador for the Premier League Primary Stars programme and he feels that it’s important meet his “bosses” as he tours across the country, promoting the importance of literacy and reading through football. “It’s wonderful to come to such a fantastic club like Bristol Rovers and meet the students here today. I aim to talk to children about the links between reading, writing and football and how this may benefit them as they develop into young adults.”

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We’d like to thank Dan for such an inspiring talk at The Memorial Stadium and our guests who were terrific throughout the whole day. We hope they will enjoy their free booked, signed by the author himself.