Following on from the conclusion of the NCS Autumn 2017 programme, first team players Junior Morias, Liam Sheppard, and Gwion Edwards attended the Graduation evening to hand out certificates to the 16-17 year olds who completed the programme.

NCS brings young people together from various different backgrounds and offers them new opportunities as they take on new challenges, new skills and engage with new people. Enabling these young people to discover new talents and uncover their potential while having fun and enjoying themselves, the scheme has proved to be a resounding success once more.

During this Autumn programme, as a football club, we saw us hit our targets and take 31 students. The young people were challenged in many ways from staying away from home, to learning new skills such as CV writing, budgeting for the future and taking on new responsibilities. During the Social Action Project Planning and Delivery phases we have seen students come up with new and interesting ideas. A lot of work went into their planning as they learned new ways of helping the community.

Groups have been taking part in sponsored walks and bucket collections in order to raise funds for their chosen charities. One group supported Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) where they raised money and bought items and presents and made 22 Christmas hampers for those living in housed accommodation. Overall, they raised £443 through their fundraising events. The other group supported Little Miracles where they completed a bag pack in Marks & Spencers and raised an amazing £240 as well as taking part in a 5 mile sponsored walk where they raised £320.

Team leader Callum Avent added: ‘The young people were excellent from start to finish; they were very proactive when deciding the charity they wanted to support. In the planning there were some setbacks, however, the group managed to overcome them quickly and always had a plan B. When delivering in Little Miracles, they were fantastic in transforming their garden and raised a lot of money to purchase new equipment to bring enjoyment to the young children.’ The group spent time with the children and spent over £250 on new toys and Christmas decorations and then donated the remaining money towards a Christmas trip to Winter Wonderland. They also took the children and their parents to a POSH first team game where they had the opportunity to take a penalty at half time. Overall, it was a fantastic achievement with both teams creating a huge difference in their community.

NCS Co-ordinator Megan Stickland says ‘I have been working on the programme for 3 years now and I can really see the difference it makes to the lives of the young people. The young people have developed very good social mixing skills as they have clearly come together as a group to create amazing projects in the community. I would like to thank Junior Morias, Liam Sheppard, and Gwion Edwards for presenting the awards and the organisations that have helped support throughout the programme’.

Peterborough United’s next NCS programme takes place in Summer 2018. If you are interested or know of any 16 to 17 year olds that would want more information on the NCS Programmes, then contact Megan Stickland: megan.stickland@theposh.com.