Local MP praises ‘vital’ ‘Cash4Clubs’ funding for Tyneside veterans charity

Local MP Emma Lewell-Buck has even praised the award of the £2,000 grant as a “vital boost” for the group, which helps former Armed Forces servicemen and women in the North-East to help adjust to civilian life following what can be traumatic and challenging experiences in combat.

Veterans Response C.I.C – based in South Shields but open to ex service personnel from all over the North East - will use the vital money to fund a brand new 5-a-side football league.

Organisers say the cash – awarded to them by Flutter’s Cash4Clubs scheme - is “a massive shot in the arm” and will not only allow them to set up the weekly football tournaments at South Shields Football Club but will pay for essentials like balls, bibs and referee’s fees.

Ian Driver, CEO of Veterans Response – which is run solely by volunteers – said: “This funding is a game changer. It gives us a real chance to give a great football outlet to people who have lost a sense of camaraderie and community since leaving the army.

“We hold weekly sessions at the moment and the impact of kicking a ball around and having a laugh with friends is incredible. So much so that we now want to start a regular competition that ex-Armed Forces personnel - regardless of ability - can get down and play.

“The force for good that the sessions have is amazing although the football standard is a long way off something you’d see at St James’ Park!

“We wouldn’t be able to have done it without funding from Cash4Clubs.”

Emma Lewell-Buck – Labour MP for South Shields - praised the work of the club and welcomed the funding, saying: “Having worked with Ian and the team at Veterans Response I know how invested they are in building a real community institution.

“This funding from Cash4 Clubs will give them a vital boost, so that more veterans in our community can benefit from their services.”

Flutter UKI funds Cash4Clubs and has selected 200 winners from across the country as recipients of £2,000 worth of funding to help drive participation in sports and wellbeing, improve facilities and run coaching programmes.

Since the Cash4Clubs initiative was launched in 2008, nearly £6.5 million has been invested into community sports by Flutter UKI.

Last year, over 40,000 people across 50 different sports benefitted from the Cash4Clubs fund. Almost 85% of those clubs funded were from lower socio-economic groups.

Other clubs in London to have received vital grants from the Flutter Cash4Clubs funding initiative include Brandon United Football Club, Bullion Community Resource Centre, Durham Indoor Bowling and Community Association Ltd, Equal Arts, Panama Swimming Club, Rainbow Promise North East & Yorkshire CIC, Sunderland Bowling Club, Tailored Leisure and Veterans in Crisis.

Funding awarded to Veterans Response will go towards the charity’s contact and non-contact sports programmes which offer injured ex-servicemen and women invaluable physical therapy and a platform for socialising.

Mr Driver set up Veterans Response in 2013 after the deaths of his brother, who was in the RAF, and father, who was in the Royal Engineers.

He said he realised how much their members, who “used to feel like part of a family” when in service, needed regular social interaction when they left the forces.

The club currently hosts a breakfast club for hundreds of ex-servicemen and women – some of whom can’t always afford to eat.

Mr Driver said: “It’s great to give them a proper meal but most importantly it brings everyone together. For many, it's like being back in the forces. It’s a chance for a laugh, and even sometimes a whinge, with other people who understand.”

“This is also why we set up the football. We have amputees who play. Men and women. Old and young. It’s a real mix but social interaction and exercise is great for their mental health. It gets them out of the house.”

“The goal is to set up a competition where we can play other groups like ours but that costs money and that is why the grant is invaluable.”

Veterans Response also runs a food bank for ex-Armed Forces personnel in the area as well as offering training, education and accommodation.

Flutter CEO Executive Kevin Harrington, said: “The Cash4Clubs initiative is a key part of our group’s global commitment to improve the lives of 10 million people in the communities where we operate by 2030 as part of our Positive Impact Plan. Community clubs are the bedrock of sport in the UK and Ireland, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help these smaller organisations continue to make a big difference to people’s lives.

“Last year we doubled our funding from £200,000 to £400,000 after receiving so many applications. The number of clubs needing financial assistance continues to grow, which indicates the real value these grants have for local grassroots organisations, many of which are existing on a shoestring.”

For more information about next year’s round of Cash4Clubs grants – available to clubs in the North East - please visit https://cash-4-clubs.com/.