Great partnership for community

Burnley FC in the Community has teamed up with housing association Great Places to help get more people into training and employment.

Great Places, who provide more than 19,000 homes to people across the North West and Yorkshire, have signed up as Patrons of Burnley FC in the Community’s Employability programmes, investing funds into the programmes as well as staff time, expertise and a dedicated referral process.

BFCitC’s employability work, based at Turf Moor, The Leisure Box in Brierfield, as well as other locations, is split into various projects, programmes and activity. The work supports people in both group settings and on an individual basis.

Ryan Bradley, business development executive at Burnley FC in the Community, said: “It was clear from initial discussions that both organisations share very similar goals and aspirations, and work with a very similar target market.

“We want to form meaningful, long-term partnerships with other organisations and work together for the community – Great Places joining us as a Patron will provide the start point for that.”

With housing stock in Burnley and Pendle locally, Great Places provide not just a home for their customers but a wraparound service that supports the needs of their diverse communities.

Aateeka Bashir, community and partnerships manager for Lancashire, said: “Our values drive our business and we are committed to improving the lives of the people living in our homes and communities.

“Our priorities include supporting our customers in to work, training and volunteering and Burnley FC in the Community have a fantastic track record of delivery. We are delighted to be partnering with this award-winning Premier League charity.”

It is hoped that this partnership will see nearly 300 people find employment or engage in training by the end of the football season. The aim is also to provide a springboard for Great Places and Burnley FC in the Community to grow their profiles and increase their impact by working together.

For more information on the partnership please email r.bradley@burnleyfc.com.