West Ham United has pledged to spend around £28 million on community support programmes by the end of this year despite the impact of Covid-19 on the club’s budget.

The club will invest in a range of projects and activities in Newham and the surrounding boroughs with a focus on improving health, combating poverty and support for Newham food bank.

The players and club management players have pledged to give over 1,000 hours of time on actions to combat poverty which is a priority given that Newham is among the most deprived areas in the country.

Support includes a delivery van for Newham Food Bank and a £25,000 donation to FareShare UK towards free meals through the Child Food Poverty Taskforce, founded by Manchester United’s school meal campaigner Marcus Rashford.

West Ham United Club captain Mark Noble, pictured right, said: “As players, we were more than happy to throw our support behind these vitally important campaigns.

Now we need to focus on tackling poverty which is a big issue locally, so that there is more equality out there for everyone, and I think the Club’s increasing focus in that area will help us to do that.

John Ratomski from the supporters group Irons Supporting Foodbanks said the support provided over the Christmas period made a difference to the lives of around 8,000 Newham children.

He said:

We are looking forward to the time when crowds return to the London Stadium and we can continue the friendships made with the fans who have supported us since we began working with the local community to fight food poverty a year ago.

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