Wolves Lay Foundation for Community

By Chris Lord
September 1 2005

A pioneering dream to bring community organisations closer together is set to become a reality next month – with the unveiling of a new Community Learning and Sport Foundation based at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

The Warrington Wolves Community Learning & Sport Foundation, a stand-alone charitable trust, will bring community groups and organisations together under one umbrella.

To commemorate the achievement former Wolves star Sid Domic has produced a unique piece of Aboriginal Artwork to be displayed in the entrance to the Community Floor.

Sid’s story is as unique as the painting - a self-taught artist with a passion for his Aboriginal history. This is the type of role sport can play in changing lives and giving people opportunities.

Sid, who still lives in Warrington, states, "The community work done by all Clubs is fantastic, Warrington certainly lead the way and the setting up of The Foundation within this great new stadium is a tremendous testament to the hard work that goes on."

Cllr Terry O’Neill, a member of the Board of Trustees commented, "On behalf of The Foundation, I would like to thank all the many partner agencies, organisations and people across the community who have been so instrumental in its development from a simple community liaison group to a very special example of a true working partnership – a Foundation we can be very proud of. The reality is even better than our vision!", he added.

The Charitable Trust will have its own Board of Trustees comprising of representatives from local community organisations and partnerships as well as Club personnel. The Trustees include Wolves Chief Executive Andy Gatcliffe, Cllr Terry O’Neill the Council’s Executive Member for Sustainable Regeneration, Pat Kitto Director of Lifelong Learning at Warrington Collegiate and John Gartside Chairman of the National Health Trust.

The Foundation has been formed to enable the Wolves and Warrington Borough Council to build upon the success of its past community work and to help expand and develop that work right across the Warrington community.

Thanks to funding from Northwest Regional Development Agency, the Foundation will also manage a new 'Community Floor' at the Halliwell Jones Stadium bringing existing community initiatives together – the first of its type anywhere in the country.

The aim of the Foundation is to create a more cohesive approach to the provision of many of Warrington’s key services.

As a Registered Charity, The Foundation will focus on using the positive power of sport to promote active participation in sport and learning, with the ultimate aim of helping to improve the quality of life for everyone involved.

Foundation objectives will major on interaction with its community through innovative sporting and educational programmes.

Neil Kelly, who will be The Foundation’s Director, explains the thinking behind The Foundation. He said: "There is no doubt that, away from the field of play, Wolves’ biggest strength is the work developed in conjunction with the local authority over many years within our local community. With the new stadium, the formation of The Foundation enables us to now take this work to a new and unprecedented level."

Warrington Wolves Chief Executive, Andy Gatcliffe, added: “The Foundation offers a unique opportunity for the Club to continue to strengthen our community partnerships. We want to convince everyone who lives in the Borough that sport, health, education and local community involvement can be a positive experience especially in these challenging family times, and can present an opportunity for the whole family to share a common interest." The new venture and will be offering a range of learning opportunities in this purpose-built accommodation to include arts and crafts, computing and Learndirect provision."

An Official Opening date for the Community Floor is to be announced in the very near future. Keep your eyes and ears peeled at all of the remaining Warrington Wolves home games