The combination of a global pandemic and existing equality issues in society have created real challenges in 2020, including for those people who live in Newham. West Ham United Football Club, and its Foundation, believe that tackling these issues has to continue to be at the heart of everything we do in the future.

I’m extremely proud of the club’s community work, which extends across East London, Essex and locations internationally, and fundamentally supports a range of areas, including programmes to reduce inequality, encourage social mobility, get people healthy and reduce poverty.

I’m particularly proud of the immediate response to Covid-19, which saw the club make a pledge of support for local NHS trusts, providing vital support for patients and staff. Agreed in conjunction with NHS experts, and based on how the club could best support our activities have directly benefitted Barts Charity – the dedicated charity for Barts Health NHS Trust, and King George and Queen’s Hospitals Charity, who support the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The pandemic comes at a time when we are dealing with more than just health issues within our society. In Newham, our Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz has said that the pandemic has put over 40,000 jobs at risk with more than 100,000 people either on furlough, self-employment support or benefits.

As a club, we work to improve employability and social mobility; providing an array of guidance, insight, opportunities and schemes to prepare people for work and support their career pathways.

I’m particularly proud of the immediate response to Covid-19, which saw the club make a pledge of support for local NHS trusts, providing vital support for patients and staff.

The jobs crisis comes at a time when the Borough is already tackling other issues around inequality and social mobility. At the same time as dealing with the pandemic, for example, many have been deeply affected by the murder of George Floyd and the resulting Black Lives Matter movement.

West Ham United has set up a staff Equality Forum, to provide a discussion platform on all of these issues. The club is continuing to lead the conversation on equality, and doing what is needed to really tackle some of the systemic discrimination faced by communities in east London.

To combat racial discrimination the Foundation runs a programme called Stop the Hate for schools across East London, encouraging pupils to think critically about the information that they receive and understand the harm caused by division and hatred.

This is a small window into some of West Ham’s ongoing work to tackle some of the biggest issues we are facing right now. However, the Foundation has supported local charities, good causes and social support programmes for 30 years. There will always be more to be done and we remain committed to making a difference in our community; adapting our approach so that we have maximum impact while meeting any new restrictions imposed to stay as safe as possible in the face of Covid-19.

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