Marcus Rashford has inspired a new community project to help families in the school holidays. Newly formed Community Interest Company ProFormance Pathways has teamed up with Hemel Hempstead Town Football Club to offer children, who qualify for free school meals, a place on their football camp, a warm meal, and enrichment activities during the Easter school break.
During the last year, under the challenging circumstances families have faced due to Covid-19, Rashford has highlighted the underlying inequality and the plight of our neediest families. ProFormance Pathways have taken that as an inspiration to support those families and, step by step, deliver projects that can positively impact our community.
Funding was granted under the HAPpy project. This is where Hertfordshire County Council joined forces with the Herts Sports Partnership and the Hertfordshire Community Foundation to organise a programme for the forthcoming Easter Holidays to counter the triple inequalities facing Hertfordshire’s most disadvantaged young people – holiday hunger, physical inactivity and social isolation.
This is the start of lots of projects and community activation to help local people, regardless of socioeconomic status, get involved with football and personal development.
You can see more on future projects at www.proformance.uk
Hemel Hempstead Town Football Club also runs a U-18 team where the squad members train and study full time at the club's stadium Vauxhall Road. This season 24 young people have been able to play and train throughout the academic year. Despite the restrictions in place, the squad have been able to stay in touch with daily zoom sessions.
If you are in year 11 and wish to join the team for next season, register your interest at www.hemelfc.com/under-18-s.
To all young people, our message is, KEEP STRIVING!!