Download IslingtonLife - Autumn 2012 - Islington Council

Arsenal legend, Charlie George,
opens refurbished pitch at
McCall and Hollis House
Arsenal is delighted to have a regular
spot in IslingtonLife which keeps
residents up to date with all the
Club’s latest community initiatives.
This regular feature also keeps local
residents informed of events and
issues surrounding Arsenal and
Emirates Stadium such as fixtures,
road closures and transport updates.
In this edition we’re taking a look
at two projects made possible by The
Arsenal Foundation, the Club’s charity
which makes grants to projects which
help transform the lives of young
people.
For further information visit
www.arsenal.com/thearsenalfoundation
GUNNERS LEGEND VISITS
CHILDHOOD ESTATE IN ISLINGTON
Arsenal legend Charlie George took
a trip down memory lane recently
when he visited the site of his former
childhood home in Islington.
McCall and Hollins House, which
is located close to the Odeon cinema
on Holloway Road, has overseen
widespread transformation since
Charlie grew up on the site in the
1960s, and is now home to a fully
refurbished astro-turfed pitch, made
possible thanks to funding from The
Arsenal Foundation and a number
of other partners, including Islington
Council Housing and the Home Office.
The recently opened facility plays
host to Arsenal in the Community
sessions several nights a week,
providing local young people with
a safe place to play football. One
of these programmes is Positive
Futures, a national community-based
inclusion programme that gives
young people the chance to develop
the skills needed to get on a positive
career path and take on roles as
active and responsible citizens.
During his visit, Charlie met some
of the young people currently taking
part in the programme, which has
been managed by Arsenal in the
Community since 2004 and now
boasts the Highest Gold Star rating
from the Home Office.
As well as football activities, regular
attendees to the site are taken on
organised outings and residential
trips, while employment opportunities
are provided for those wishing to
make the step from participant to
volunteer and then employment.
The McCall and Hollis House facility
is the latest in a long line of recently
upgraded facilities on local Islington
estates that have benefited from
funding from The Arsenal Foundation,
others include Girdlestone, King
Square, Harvist and Aubert Court.
Launched earlier this year
to celebrate Arsenal’s 125th
anniversary, The Arsenal Foundation
was launched to help the Club
engage more young people than
ever before. A fundraising and grantmaking
organisation, The Arsenal
Foundation will grow the reach and
effect of the programmes that the
Club supports to help an increasing
number of young people across the
globe fulfil their potential.
ISLINGTON SCHOOLS BENEFIT
FROM SAVE THE CHILDREN
PARTNERSHIP
Two local schools in Islington are
enjoying the benefits of Arsenal
Football Club’s global charity
partnership with Save the Children,
after the Club and charity combined
to set up a programme in each
school that empowers parents to
build stronger relationships with their
children.
Supported by a donation of more
than £50,000 from The Arsenal
Foundation, Duncombe Primary
School and St. Mark’s Primary
School, both in Islington, embarked
on an eight-week programme called
Families and Schools Together
(FAST). FAST enables parents to
develop the skills and confidence
they need to better support and take
a more active role in their children’s
education, while playing a greater role
in their community.
In order to deliver the programme,
Save the Children has worked to
create a team of FAST ‘practitioners’
at each school, comprising local
parents, community leaders, school
staff and local authority staff. These
teams have then helped to deliver
a series of weekly sessions, during
which a selected group of families