ON Saturday 5 March, local award-winning charity Notts County Foundation will be celebrating its annual ‘Community Day’ prior to Notts County Football Club’s home league match against Yeovil Town.
Taking place between 10:30am and 1:30pm at the Portland Centre facility in the heart of the Meadows, match goers and members of the local community alike are invited to come together in celebration of the charity’s first Community Day since 2019. The event will also mark the first time that plans for the proposed refurbishment of the Portland Centre’s training room into a mental well-being space will be able to be viewed by members of the public.
Sam Crawford, Head of Business Development at Notts County Foundation, said:
“We are delighted to see the return of our annual Community Day, following two years of COVID-related cancellations. The day allows us to bring into focus our extensive range of community-focussed projects and programmes, and raise awareness of our work across the city and county.”
Several local businesses and organisations, including, 200 Degrees, Boxed Drinks, Working Man’s Kitchen, Guru Nanak’s Mission, Canal & River Trust, and Streetwise Opera will be supporting the event, with Trent Bridge Community Trust delivering their All-Stars & Dynamos cricket session in the Portland Centre in a fun-filled morning of activities!
Jordan Worthington, Head of Commercial at Notts County Football Club, said:
“Everyone at the club is looking forward to celebrating the tremendous work Notts County Foundation do in the community at their dedicated fixture.
“I would encourage everyone to engage with the fantastic activities and opportunities on offer throughout the day and to support the Foundation in any way they can throughout the year.”
Notts County Football Club legends Les Bradd, Chris Withe, and Iain McCulloch will be at the Portland Centre chatting through the facility’s history, and for photo and signing opportunities. Exclusively for season ticket holders, the first 100 individuals to show their membership card at the ticket desk in the Portland Centre sports hall will receive a free one-day pass that entitles the holder to use the Portland Centre facilities before the end of the 2021-2022 National League season.
Taking part in an arduous 169-mile challenge, representatives from Notts County Foundation and local running group DOrunning will collectively be covering the distance from Notts County’s Meadow Lane to Huish Park in Yeovil, raising money for both organisations in the process. The team of 20 runners will be completing individual legs of the journey across three treadmills in the Portland Centre’s cardio room between 9am and 1:30pm, with people encouraged to come along to support and cheer on everyone involved!
Des Oldham, Founder of DOrunning, said:
“Putting on this event in association with Notts County Foundation will add so much to the day. We are really exciting to be forging a partnership with a charity whose aims and objectives align perfectly with our own. We will be using all funds raised to continue to provide free physical activity and wellbeing support within the local community.”
The occasion also presents an opportunity to celebrate the winners of the 2022 Colin Slater Community Hero Awards, which were launched in memory of the legendary broadcaster and longstanding Notts County Foundation trustee. Throughout February, people across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have been nominating individuals who have gone above and beyond to support others in their local communities, with the winners – who are being revealed on Wednesday 2 March – receiving complimentary tickets to the fixture, as well as the opportunity to join Notts County Football Club’s record goal scorer, Les Bradd, on the balcony of the Derek Pavis stand at half-time.
Sam Crawford added:
“The charity is in a really positive position at the moment, and we are very much looking forward to welcome everyone to the Portland Centre for what is shaping up to be a really exciting pre-match event. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has continued to support us throughout the pandemic, your generosity has helped us to transform the lives of local people during what has been a challenging few years.” For more information about Notts County Foundation, please visit www.nottscountyfoundation.org.uk.
Posted on 01 March 2022
