COPING THROUGH FOOTBALL CELEBRATES SUCCESS WITH O’S STARS

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2009
COPING THROUGH FOOTBALL CELEBRATES SUCCESS WITH O’S STARS

LOCSP Press Release: Friday 9 October 2009

Leyton, London – Coping Through Football celebrated its second anniversary yesterday with a five-a-side football tournament that coincided with the lead up to World Mental Health Day tomorrow (Saturday 10th).

Coping Through Football is a groundbreaking mental health project run in Waltham Forest by The London Playing Fields Foundation (LPFF) and Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme (LOCSP) alongside the North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) and supported by The Football Foundation, City Bridge Trust, The Henry Smith Charity, Capital Volunteering, Sport England and London Catalyst.

Jeff Davis, FA National Football Development Manager, sits on the Coping Through Football steering group and with funding due to finish in May 2010, following the initial three-year period; all parties are currently working towards having the project commissioned into the mainstream mental health service.

The project aims to create a sustainable recovery model for one of society’s most marginalised groups; the long term mentally ill.

The tournament featured participants from Waltham Forest who were watched in action by Leyton Orient FC first team players Stephen Purches and Tamika Mkandawire.

Club captain Purches and defender Mkandawire were in attendance to offer encouragement and advice to the participants and fielding questions in an open Q&A session with the group.

The tournament featured teams split into names of London clubs with awards given to winners and runners-up as well as for the most improved player and top goalscorer.

However, the event wasn’t just a celebration of the past two years as it also provided an opportunity to promote the work to more service users and provide information and advice for participants through informal discussions with various NHS professionals.

Leyton Orient FC player Tamika Mkandawire said:
“Sometimes players don’t really understand the effect they and football can have on people until they actually come to events like this and see it for themselves. Football is a sport that unites everybody and reflects people from all walks of life.

“It was good watching the group play here today. Everyone was enjoying themselves which is the main thing about this session and sport in general.”

Leyton Orient FC Captain Stephen Purches said:
“It’s great to be involved in something like this and the questions they asked us show just how much they are interested in football.

“We have personal responsibilities as players to come into the community and if being here can make a bit of difference or help, then that’s what it’s all about

“Whether or not we are here every time you can clearly see the enthusiasm of them playing and getting together like this is obviously making a big difference to their lives.

“One of the lads has got one hell of a shot on him – they all want the ball and all want to get involved. There are completely different standards of players here but they don’t care as long as they are playing and kicking a ball around.

“It’s been good to come down and not just watch but interact with the group and share our experiences that we have had along the way in our careers and hopefully they have found that interesting.

“We got a lot of questions we weren’t expecting so it keeps you on your toes – it’s all good fun and it’s been great coming down here, Tam and I have really enjoyed it.”

Robert Tromans, LOCSP Football Development Officer said:
“We decided to stage this tournament to celebrate the second anniversary of the project, to coincide with World Mental Health Day and to show people our facilities and what the project can offer.

“It was brilliant having the Leyton Orient FC players here today as our players really opened up; they loved them being here and wanted to show the players how good they were at football.

“The question and answer session saw some really funny questions alongside some coaching tips. Our players were really buzzing - the sun was shining and the day couldn’t have gone any better.”

Alex Welsh, Chief Executive London Playing Fields Foundation said:
“The tournament captured what Coping Through Football is all about; coming together to play sport in an environment that enriches the mind body and spirit.

“The participants in the project have benefited enormously from the experience and have been able to get their lives back on track.

“The project illustrates the value of working in partnership and the LPFF is both proud and grateful for the support it has received from the NELFT and LOCSP in delivering this groundbreaking initiative.

“Our next step is to transform this project into a long-term mainstream service that will continue to benefit local people with enduring mental health problems.”

Coping Through Football runs twice-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Peter May Sports Ground and SCORE, Leyton.

For more information please contact Matthew Howard-Jones on 0844 600 1268, 07825 527 170 or email matthew.howard-jones@nelft.nhs.uk.

Editors Notes

1. Named 'Community Club of the Year' at the 2009 Football League Awards, Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme (LOCSP) exists to help young people develop the skills and confidence to succeed in their lives, with our core work taking place in the six London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Newham, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham and Hackney - a total combined population of over 1.3 million people.Established in May 1989 by Leyton Orient Football Club and the London Borough of Waltham Forest, LOCSP started with 150 young people a week and now provides over 4,500 sporting and educational participation and engagement opportunities every week for young people across London - equating to 225,000 a year.LOCSP has invested £5.5 million in the east London community since 1998 and work with some of the most challenging young people, jointly confronting difficult issues including racism, sexism, lack of cultural awareness, crime, unemployment, lack of education and training and ageism.

For more information visit http://www.locsp.org/

2. The London Playing Fields Foundation was formed in 1890 and is the largest charity (registered number 302925) in London for the protection, provision and promotion of playing fields. The Foundation currently owns and manages eight large playing fields (totalling over 200 acres) spread across the capital. Its mission is not only to save threatened sites but also to help playing fields enrich the lives of the eleven million people who work, visit and live in London. It focuses on young people and disadvantaged groups, using sport as a means of improving their social skills, health and well being, education and employment aspirations. Through targeted use of its grounds, it aims to widen, increase, sustain and extend participation in sport and physical activity.
http://www.lpff.org.uk/

3. Coping Through Football is a ground-breaking project delivered in London Borough of Waltham Forest since 2007. It demonstrates how two sports charities (London Playing Fields Foundation and Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme) can work with the statutory health service (North East London Foundation Trust) to create a sustainable recovery model for one of society’s most marginalised groups, the long term mentally ill. It aims to help people diagnosed with enduring mental illness to engage more fully with their current care provision, enhance their mental wellbeing and improve their physical health.

The project outcomes are:

· Raise the group’s self-esteem and confidence
· Improve the group’s interactive skills
· Improve the group’s commitment to participating regularly in physical activity and adopting a healthy lifestyle

Coping Through Football is not a sports project in the traditional sense, it is a social inclusion project which uses football as a tool to engage with a hard to reach group.

Alongside the twice weekly football sessions, the project encourages participants to access mainstream activities such as training courses, commercial five-a-side leagues and Football League matches.

Healthy lifestyle workshops focusing on issues such as smoking cessation and healthy eating have been delivered to the service users. Interest in these sessions has increased as the participants have begun to understand the positive impact that a healthy lifestyle could have on their performance on the pitch.

All participants are referred to the project via NELFT and they undergo a physical and mental health assessment before joining the activity sessions.

The Project Coordinator, seconded from NELFT, undertakes quarterly interviews with participants as part of a system of robust monitoring and evaluation using recognized assessment tools.

A bespoke computer package has been designed to manage the project data.

Coping Through Football was shortlisted for the Beyond Sport London Legacy Award in 2009 which saw it recognised for the best project or initiative in London which uses sport as a vehicle for positive social change.

For more information about this nomination visit:http://www.beyondsport.org/the-awards/london-legacy/shortlist.php
4. World Mental Health Day on 10 October raises public awareness about mental health issues and was started by the World Federation for Mental Health.
The Day promotes more open discussion of illnesses, and investments in prevention and treatment services. WHO statistics for 2002 show that 154 million people globally suffer from depression, only one form of mental illness.
Mental, neurological and behavioural disorders are common in all countries around the world, causing immense suffering and staggering economic and social costs. People with disorders are often subjected to social isolation, poor quality of life and higher death rates.
WFMH is an international membership organization founded in 1948 to advance, among all peoples and nations, the prevention of mental and emotional disorders, the proper treatment and care of those with such disorders, and the promotion of mental health.
The Federation, through its members and contacts in more than 100 countries on six continents, has responded to international mental health crises through its role as the only worldwide grassroots advocacy and public education organization in the mental health field.
Its organizational and individual membership includes mental health workers of all disciplines, consumers of mental health services, family members, and concerned citizens.
The organisation’s broad and diverse membership makes possible collaboration among governments and non-governmental organizations to advance the cause of mental health services, research, and policy advocacy worldwide.
For more information please visit:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_mental_health_day/en/index.html
http://www.wfmh.org/00WorldMentalHealthDay.htm