Tuesday's game against Stevenage is part of the EFL’s Community Weekend and the focus of this years’ campaign is ‘Community Heroes’ - shining a light on the everyday heroes working, volunteering, and participating in the community…
Each Club is being asked to nominate five Community Heroes, whose stories showcase the incredible, transformative work that is taking place across Cambridge and the country.
The participants below, have all earned recognition for their contributions to the community work that Cambridge United Foundation conducts, and will be welcomed out onto the pitch at half-time of Tuesday's game.
Barry
Barry is a member of our Bar Hill Walking Football sessions, which are held on Tuesday mornings and are a part of our Forever United project. He was one of the original members of the session and has been pivotal in creating a supportive and receptive atmosphere which has seen the group grow to now have over 30 registered participants.
Before attending the sessions, Barry admits that he did not know any of the other participants, even though a lot of them lived close to one another. The sessions have provided him and the other members, a strong sense of community and belonging to not just the session, but also within the Bar Hill community.
Chris and Elin
Chris and Elin exemplify commitment. They have been attending our Community Café, Afternoon Tea, Senior Lunches, and Elin has been joining our recently launched Abbey Wellbeing Walk. They are a constant source of joy across all of these sessions, and spread their wisdom and support to their fellow participants.
Speaking on what they enjoy most about the sessions, they both stated that the sessions have provided them with such a great opportunity to meet others from the community, and make new friends, while providing a structure to their week which helps them across other areas of their lives, not just when they are with the Foundation.
Chris Martin
Chris attends the Man v Fat programme at Abbey Leisure, and is a role model for all who attend. Not only through his incredible weight-loss journey, but also his character development off the back of the sessions.
Chris admitted that he had struggled with managing his weight for most of his life, and was never confident enough to attend public gyms. Upon stepping into the Man v Fat sessions, he has embedded himself into a community of like-minded individuals with similar experiences to him and now is an advocate of the programme to anyone who may be considering it. Over the last season of the programme, Chris has lost an incredible 25% of his body-weight, and admits that he never thought that level of progress was attainable.
Matthew Jeffrey
Matthew is a long-term disability sport participant, having attended various sessions for around 10 years. He is always keen to join in at any opportunity, which is evidenced through his participation in the Learning Difficulty and Mental Health football sessions, Inclusive Football sessions, the Homeless and Vulnerably Housed football sessions and the monthly Parability football tournaments.
The sessions have provided Matt with more opportunities to play football and develop his skills, while improving his mental health. He stated that the sessions provide an opportunity to get out of the house and meet others, which is a great way to make friends and support mental health.
A big congratulations to all of our Community Heroes!