Author: andypilley

Fleetwood Town are delighted to launch a poppy pin once again for 2021 featuring the club’s badge, to raise money for The Royal British Legion.

This special edition poppy pin, which features the club badge and the iconic poppy, side by side, gives Cod Army fans and members of the community a unique way of honouring the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces, veterans, and their families, and supporting the 2021 Poppy Appeal.

Andy Pilley, Chairman, and Owner of the club, said: “All of us at Fleetwood Town are huge supporters of the Royal British Legion and the Poppy Appeal, and we’re delighted to be able to support the fundraising with our very own FTFC Poppy pins. I shall be wearing mine with pride and would encourage all our fans to do the same.”

Established in 1921, The Royal British Legion is a charity that provides life-long support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces and their families. They are the national custodian of Remembrance, organising the annual Poppy Appeal, and campaigning to improve the lives of the Armed Forces community.

Priced at £4.99, the special edition pin badge is available from the club shops at Highbury and Poolfoot, or online, from Friday this week. All profits will go to The Royal British Legion.

Wear your poppy with pride and show your support for your team and troops!

Fleetwood Town Community Trust have continued to support and develop young people aged 15-17 years old on National Citizens Service (NCS) throughout the summer.  The Trust has worked with over 70 young people from varied backgrounds during the three phase initiative, Be Epic, Live Life and Social Action Projects. Andy recently visited Rossall School to judge the NCS group’s enterprise challenge.

The initiative aims to raise aspirations of young people, with small groups planning, delivering and pitching their “Enterprise Challenge” proposals to the judging panel, consisting of Andy Pilley and also the Community Development Officer at Fleetwood Town Council, Lauren Harrison.

The winning team designed and pitched a concept to generate electricity through physical activity, with data collected by a piece of technology to be used in footwear. Andy explained, “I was delighted to be asked to judge the NCS group’s enterprise challenge event, which turned out to be the highlight of my week!  Considering the age of the group and the limited amount of preparation time they’d been given, myself and the rest of the judging panel were blown away by the presentations, which were all very engaging and delivered with confidence.

As a businessman myself, I could easily have been persuaded to invest in at least one of the products! The entire group were all receptive to our feedback and questions, I have no doubt they will all go on to great things – I wish them every success for the future.” 

See what to expect with NCS Summer Phase Two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc3Nc_M5ggw

Chairman Andy Pilley took time out his day on Friday to go and see all the children on the Community Trust’s sports camp, based at the Poolfoot Farm, the Club’s training complex.

Andy received a heart-warming card from one of the kids, Star Worthington, which mentioned how she has really enjoyed her time on the sports camp and wanted to thank the Chairman for making it available for her and everyone else there.

The camps, which are also at Carleton Green Primary School and Shakespeare Primary School, are keeping local children active with multisport, games, and activities which lead to daily prizes available for everyone who attends.

If you would like more information about the camps, you can book your spot on the Community Trust website HERE. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Fleetwood Town Community Trust has joined forces with the Football Club to provide vulnerable people across the community with essential supplies and a hot meal, straight to their door.

When Father John Hall, vicar of the parish of St David’s and St Peter’s and the force behind the newly formed Fleetwood Together, contacted the Community Trust and described the levels of need across the town, the Trust immediately put together a plan of action.

Fleetwood Together is a group comprising smaller groups and charities in the area, all with the same goal, which is supporting vulnerable families and people isolated and in need within Fleetwood during these troubling times. 

The Community Trust decided that hot meals were essential, so they enlisted the help of the club, who kindly offered to cook the meals in the kitchens at Highbury Stadium, before staff members from the Trust and volunteers from the town delivered them to isolated families who were highlighted by Father John.

In addition, Fleetwood Town also donated an abundance of tinned foods, drinks and fruit which were distributed along with the hot meals.

“The generosity of the Community Trust and Fleetwood Town, along with the other volunteers, really goes to show the strength of spirit across the town,” said Father John.

“It’s so wonderful to see everyone looking out for each other, particularly those who are most vulnerable at this time.”

Andy Pilley, Chairman and owner of Fleetwood Town, said:

“These are uncertain times for the whole country and the wider world, so when we were approached by the Community Trust and asked to team up to support elderly and vulnerable people in our local area, we jumped at the opportunity. 

“I’m enormously proud of the flexibility and professionalism of the team here at Fleetwood Town, who always rise to any challenge that comes their way.”

Pete Murphy, Chairman of Fleetwood Town Community Trust said:

“At times like this our community has to work together. The Community Trust worked with a local charity at Christmas to provide a lunch for some Fleetwood families, and this is a continuation of our partnership. The Club is at the centre of all things Fleetwood, and long may that last.”

If you would like to help by donating tinned food or sanitary products or anything else which may help, please contact Mr Shaun MacNeill on 07889 133 445 or email him at shaun.macneill@westviewcommunity.org.uk.

Click here for more information about Fleetwood Together.

Fleetwood Town Football Club is proud to be supporting local man Andy in his challenge to raise money to support those living with Motor Neurone Disease through a remarkable 535-mile bike ride.

At the beginning of May, Andy Rushton, aged 53 from Cleveleys, will be taking part in the UK Red Empire State 500, an epic cycling adventure that will see 23 intrepid riders, including eight ex-professional rugby players, hit the road from Niagara Falls to Central Park, New York.

Inspired by rugby legend Rob Burrow’s battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), Andy was so moved after watching Rob’s video, he decided he needed to do something to help raise awareness of this horrific disease.

Up until last month, Andy hadn’t ridden a bike for 30 years, so has been training hard already and along with the 22 other riders, he’ll be raising money for the charity Rugby League Cares (RL Cares).

The mission of RL Cares is to enhance and enrich people’s lives through the power and positive influence of Rugby League. Once all the sponsorship money has been collected, RL Cares will forward a significant amount to the Rob Burrow fund, which was set up to support Rob in his treatment and his family. A proportion of the money raised will also go to other players like Rob who are living with MND.

Andy will be raising awareness of his challenge at the Fleetwood v Rotherham game on Saturday 21^st March, and he’ll be collecting money for the charity at half time and after the game.

“When I decided take part in this challenge, I shared it on Facebook and was astounded by how many people commented and said they had been affected by the disease,” said Andy. “I have covered all of the travel costs myself, which means that all the money raised will go to charity.

“Fleetwood holds fond memories for me as that’s where I went to school, so when I heard about Fleetwood Town fan Alan Morley who sadly passed away recently because of MND, I approached the club in the hope that they would help me spread the word. They agreed, and I am so grateful for their support.

“I have never done a sponsored event in my life, and I probably never will again, so I hope everyone can support me. Motor Neurone Disease is a horrible, terminal condition that has no treatment or cure, so we hope that this ride and the money it raises will play a small part in changing the lives of those affected.”

Andy Pilley, Chairman and owner of Fleetwood Town, said:

“On behalf of everyone involved with Fleetwood Town I am so pleased to be able to support Andy’s amazing fundraising efforts. 

“Motor Neurone Disease is such a devastating illness, and supporting this cause is extremely poignant for us, having only recently lost a fellow member of the Cod Army, Alan Morley, who was well known to myself and many others at the club, to MND. 

“It will be an honour to have Andy and his team of collectors with us at Rotherham match, and I’d urge as many people as possible to donate and show their support.”

If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, you can do so through Andy’s JustGiving page, and if you’re attending the Rotherham match on Saturday 21^st March, keep your eyes peeled for him.

BES Utilities shows dedication to enriching the lives of individuals within the local area as Fleetwood Town Community Trust become their official Corporate Social Responsibility Partner.

As one of the largest employers on the Fylde coast and with most of their staff from the area, BES wanted to give something back and make a direct difference to the local community.

Last year, the Community Trust delivered around 30 projects to over 13,000 local people, and thanks to sponsorship from BES, they will now be able to change even more lives.

Fleetwood Town Community Trust is a non-profit, self-funding, registered charity which relies completely on funding and sponsorship to provide socially inclusive engagement programmes to the community.

To kickstart the partnership, BES are investing in a brand-new minibus for the Trust, which will provide programme participants access to community groups and events across Wyre and Fylde, and the sponsorship will also support their ongoing programmes.

Andy Pilley, Owner and Director of BES, said:

“On behalf of everyone at BES Utilities I’m delighted to announce that the FTFC Community Trust has been selected as our official CSR partner. 

“Having lived on the Fylde coast all of my life, I’m proud to be able to be able to support the Community Trust, which makes an enormous difference to the education, health and well-being of local people across the Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre region.

“We’re really excited to begin working with them on a range of initiatives and can’t wait to get the partnership up and running.”

Matt Hilton, Chief Executive of the Community Trust, said:

“It’s such an honour for the Trust to have been chosen as BES’ official CSR partner. I feel that this is real recognition of all our hard work and dedication to helping individuals within Fleetwood and the surrounding areas.

“Making a difference within our local communities is at the forefront of what we do, and the generous sponsorship from BES will enable us to increase our offering and engage more individuals through our multitude of programmes.”

“The Trust has expanded at a phenomenal rate and our programmes have raised attainment in schools, developed employment pathways, helped people get healthier and stay more active, built stronger and safer communities and ultimately made a difference to a record number of people.

“This exciting new partnership with BES will enable the Trust to deliver bigger projects that have a wider reach and impact across Wyre and the surrounding area.”

The Community Trust offers many diverse activities that provide individuals across the Fylde coast with the chance to participate and enjoy themselves in a fun, friendly environment. They also have a strong focus on educating young people in life skills, promoting self-esteem, respect, sportsmanship, social inclusion, and healthy active lifestyles.