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Everton community charity do the double!

Pictured at the awards are (left to right): Sir Geoff Hurst, Steve Johnson and Stephen Raynor (Everton in the Community) and Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis.
Left to right: Sir Geoff Hurst, Steve Johnson and Stephen Raynor (Everton in the Community) and Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis.

EVERTON Football Club’s official charity has for the second year running won a top award at the ‘sporting Oscars’.

Everton in the Community’s disability programme scooped the Best Community Programme category at the 2011 Sport Industry Awards at London ’s Battersea Evolution, beating Adidas, Manchester City, the Football Foundation, Premiership Rugby and the Cricket Foundation to the accolade.

Last year Everton’s innovative Imagine Your Goals mental health programme came out on top after beating off still competition from Manchester United.

The Sports Industry Awards, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary, are attended by the glitterati of the European sporting world and recognise the best sport has to offer across a number of areas including marketing, PR, new media, advertising and community.

The judging panel, which included the BBC’s John Inverdale, Paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and Alistair Campbell, former chief press secretary to the Prime Minister, said Everton’s scheme was “single minded, highly impactful, and addressed an important social issue.”

The award was collected from Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis and World Cup winner Geoff Hurst by Steve Johnson, who runs the disability programme and Steven Raynor, Everton in the Community’s deputy CEO.

Everton in the Community’s disability programme is the largest and most respected in the world, delivering over 10,000 football opportunities for disabled children and adults every year.

Using the power of sport, the Blues’ official charity has engaged with over 17,000 disabled participants and 2,850 in the past year alone on a local, national and international level.

There are currently 26 successful disability teams representing Everton, which field a total of eight international players.

Their work has also achieved the FA Community Club Charter Standard Award, and is being used as a benchmark for other clubs across the country.

Denise Barrett-Baxendale, chief executive officer of Everton in the Community, said: “Not only does the scheme allow disabled people who wouldn’t normally get the chance to play football, but it gives them the opportunity to make new friends, build self esteem and most importantly have lots of fun!”

evertonfc.com/community

 

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