Ahead of The Duke of Cambridge’s royal visit to Everton in the Community, here’s a reminder of the projects HRH will engage with during his time in Liverpool 4.
The Duke of Cambridge and President of the Football Association will visit three of the charity’s community projects that provide crucial mental health support to different sectors of society.
The visit coincides with the ‘Heads Up’ campaign, a season-long initiative devised by The Duke of Cambridge that uses the influence and popularity of football to show the nation that mental health is just as important as physical health.
Here's a brief overview of each of the programmes that The Duke of Cambridge will visit during his time with the Club’s official charity.
Stand Together
Stand Together aims to tackle social isolation for those aged 70+ living in Merseyside by providing four days of bespoke activities each week, supporting almost 200 vulnerable adults on a weekly basis.
Sessions are designed to be engaging and varied with activities including sessions on the history of the city, external speakers, healthy eating workshops, and home safety and money advice. The scheme also offers a minibus service to transport participants from their homes to The Blue Base, ensuring the programme is accessible for all.
Stand Together is inclusive for all regardless of whether you have an interest in football or not and has recently been evaluated by Edge Hill University as reducing social isolation, improving behaviour and mental wellbeing.
Everton Veterans' Hub
Funded by the Veterans Foundation, Everton Veterans' Hub aims to engage ex-service personnel who are at risk of isolation with sport, training and social activities.
The programme offers a range of engagement tools, support mechanisms and evidence-based behavioural change methods to improve the lives of veterans and their families, particularly those who struggle to readjust back to civilian life.
The programme also benefits the local community with the participants improving their skills, finding employment, avoiding potential anti-social behaviour and reducing their likelihood of ill health.
Everton Veterans Hub was established in 2016 and to date has supported 600 veterans with the transition back to civilian life. The programme has also supported 70 ex-forces personnel currently in prison and employed 13 veterans as match-day stewards as well as helping 12 additional veterans gain new qualifications.
Tackling the Blues
Tackling the Blues is a sport and education-based programme targeting young people aged 6-16 who are experiencing, or are at risk of, developing mental health problems.
The programme is run by Everton in the Community and Edge Hill University and funded by the Premier League. The programme is co-designed and developed with young people, student mentors and education workers who act as project collaborators, help recruit participants and deliver peer mentor workshops.
Tackling the Blues has engaged over 850 young people in three years and works with local schools and their communities every week to improve the mental health of young people through sport and education sessions which encourage conversations about mental health and help prevent suicide.
