Erith Town, Peabody and Oxleas come together to improve Mental Health
At the start of last season, Erith Town FC set a goal to grow and work hard not just on the football pitch, but in the local area as well. We wanted to be seen not just as a club that produce wonderful moments on the field you can part of, but an organisation that gives to the surrounding communities and is seen as a pillar that those in Thamesmead, Erith, Plumstead, Woolwich and beyond could look to if they wanted to be part of a family and feel at home.
Along with securing our debut season in the Isthmian South-East Division in a few weeks’ time at the Sporting Club Thamesmead Peabody Community Centre, we have been working closely with both Peabody and the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust (Oxleas) to offer football to a number of their patients and help those at Oxleas with their mental health. The project was led by Under-23’s Manager, Marc Petters, along with Vice Chair, Steve Holley and Head of Youth & Community, Michael Avery and together with Peabody and Oxleas we were able to provide an open training session and a round robin tournament at Bayliss Avenue, as well as a visit from the local fire brigade!
After the session, the participants were given a tour of the stadium, visiting the First Team changing rooms, and a run through of what they can expect on a match day.
Speaking after the event, Under-23’s Manager Marc Petters said, “Mental health and improving poor mental health for people who may be struggling is a huge passion of mine, and when the opportunity arose to help out then I didn’t need much persuading. Seeing the excitement and enjoyment of those taking part today brought as much happiness to me as it did to them, and I’m very proud to have been able to help today with the sessions and games at the end. Oxleas are a wonderful organisation who do great work for those who need help with their mental health, and I cannot wait to work with them again in the future.”
Head of Youth & Community, Michael Avery echoed Marc’s sentiments saying, “I’ve been working closely with Peabody and Oxleas for a number of months to get this project off the ground and seeing this all come together is just fantastic. Erith Town do so much great work in the community, not just with local schools and youth groups, but anyone who needs help and support, and I can’t say enough what a great day we all had. From a personal point of view, it was wonderful seeing everyone with a smile on their faces, and I would like to say a huge thank you to both Steve Holley and Marc Petters for their support. Their determination to help the local area and to help improve people’s mental health shows how passionate they are about this project and local residents. Finally a huge thank you has to go to Peabody, who have embraced what we have been trying to do and helped us get this day organised.”
For more information on the work Oxleas do, visit https://oxleas.nhs.uk