How your donations make a difference
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we raised more than £2.2m last year - an incredible total that we continue to reinvest back into our community through our charitable programmes.
Our team work across the city every day, helping people aged 5 up to 96 who need our support. Here’s a snapshot of the difference we’ve made in the past 12 months.
Senior Saints
1 in 5 over 75s in Southampton feel lonely every day.
Our Senior Saints programme runs in local community venues and online every weekday, helping older people to improve their wellbeing and maintain their independence. Sessions include seated exercise, community walks and circuit sessions, so whatever level of mobility, we can tailor our support for individual needs.
This season, 39% of our Senior Saints have reported feeling less lonely, and 62% said they were in better health than when they started.
Community Champions
An estimated 11.7% of young people in Southampton have a mental health condition – and that number is continuing to rise.
The Community Champions project aims to use the pull of Southampton Football Club to bring a different dynamic to school life. We have full-time members of staff placed in 7 of Southampton’s secondary schools, delivering mentoring sessions and 1-to-1 interventions to engage with kids who find it difficult in a traditional school environment.
Through taking part in the programme, 65% of young people increased their emotional wellbeing.
PL Changemakers
Premier League Changemakers supports girls and young women in developing their personal skills and positive attitudes for leadership through a variety of educational workshops, social action projects and physical activity sessions.
In celebration of the Women’s EUROs coming to Southampton, Saints Foundation brought more than 40 local girls aged 11 to 14 together to take part in a female Kicks tournament, refereed by our PL Changemakers participants. They also got in on the action at St Mary’s, participating in the pre-show fanfare at each of the WEURO’s games by flag-bearing as the teams lined up for their national anthems.
Saints Works
11% of Southampton’s 16 and 17-year-olds are not in education, employment or training, compared to the national average of 7%.
Our employability programme, Saints Works, equips 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in employment or training so they can enter the world of work or return to education. The project includes workshops and mentoring sessions with local businesses to inspire and offer guidance to participants, giving them the motivation to succeed.
In the past year, 83% of participants have entered employment, education, or training through taking part in Saints Works.
What’s next?
We want to say a huge thank you for all of our amazing supporters for helping us raise our biggest fundraising total ever, and at a time when the support has never been more vital.
We’ve got another busy season ahead, continuing the vital work of our 16 current programmes and kickstarting some new projects.
We’ve recently started delivering our new project Active Through Football, which brings together SO14 residents to get moving with fun, free, football-based activities. In collaboration with a consortium of local partners, the programme of sessions is designed to improve the health and wellbeing of adults living in the very centre of Southampton.
You can hear more about our work and the incredible stories of the people we support by following our social media.
Facebook: @saintsfoundation
Twitter: @SFC_Foundation
Instagram: @saints_foundation
