We are delighted to announce that we will be working with the NSPCC to help raise awareness and funds.

The NSPCC has teamed up with Peterborough United Football Club to become this season’s Charity of the Year in a bid to help protect more local children. The Sky Bet League One side will be working with the Peterborough NSPCC Business Support Group whose dedicated members from the business community raise funds for the charity to use locally.

The charity partnership will be launched at Posh’s home game against Luton Town at the ABAX Stadium on Saturday August 18 as they look to continue their winning league start to the season.

The child protection charity will be at the match engaging with fans and highlighting the work they do to help keep children safe in and around Peterborough. This includes its Speak Out Stay Safe assemblies that teach primary school children as young as four how to recognise and report abuse in an age-appropriate way, reaching thousands of primary school children across the city each year.

And Peterborough United stars Louis Reed, Aaron Chapman, Tyler Denton, Colin Daniel and Rhys Bennett have already got in the spirit of the campaign by donning shirts featuring the Speak Out Stay Safe mascot Buddy, a speech bubble who encourages children to talk about any worries they may have.

This season’s partnership will also help the NSPCC Peterborough Service Centre which supports hundreds of young people and their families to help them recover from child abuse and move forward with their lives.

NSPCC staff at the centre work one on one with young victims of child sexual exploitation and those at risk of abuse as well as doing workshops on topics such as how to help keep children safe online.

Sarah Lambley, NSPCC Community Fundraising Manager for Peterborough, said: “We are really excited to have Peterborough United’s support this year, the campaign will help us reach more children in the city and raise awareness about how everyone can help children stay safe from abuse and neglect.

“The NSPCC Peterborough Support Group do a fabulous job for us and it’s great their work is being recognised with such a high-profile partnership.

“If you are going to the match on Saturday please come and say hello to our volunteers who will be one hundred per cent behind Posh after their exciting start to the season. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could mark the launch with another win and then who knows what we may be celebrating in May.”

Peterborough United Chief Executive Bob Symns said: “We are pleased to be working with the NSPCC as our charity partner for the 2018-2019 campaign and look forward to helping them raise awareness as well as funds, which will go directly to local children.

“It is vitally important for us that we work with a charity that has a direct effect on the city and its surrounding areas and the NSPCC ticks those boxes. The NSPCC do wonderful work both nationally and locally and this feels like a perfect fit.”

The NSPCC is the leading children’s charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands.  Using voluntary donations, which make up around 90 per cent of our funding, we help children who’ve been abused to rebuild their lives, we protect children at risk, and we find the best ways of preventing child abuse from ever happening. So when a child needs a helping hand, we’ll be there. When parents are finding it tough, we’ll help. When laws need to change, or governments need to do more, we won’t give up until things improve.

Our Childline service provides a safe, confidential place for children with no one else to turn to, whatever their worry, whenever they need help. Children can contact Childline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0800 1111 or by visiting www.childline.org.uk

Our free helpline provides adults with a place they can get advice and support, share their concerns about a child or get general information about child protection.