Football charity project receives more funding

The Healthy Goals project promotes the healthy growth and development of children under five and their families

A charity's project to promote children's healthy growth and development has secured funding for another three years.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' charity, the Wolves Foundation, has been running its Healthy Goals project for five years, delivering activity sessions and information workshops at the Molineux stadium and other venues in Wolverhampton.

It is funded by the Premier League and Professional Footballers' Association, with additional money from City of Wolverhampton Council.

Since its inception at the start of the pandemic, the project has supported more than 600 children and their families.

Online support, including zoom sessions and a bedtime story read by foundation ambassador Mark Rhodes, took place during lockdown, but the first face-to-face session was a Halloween walk five years ago.

Jade Sutton, health improvement manager with Wolves Foundation, said: "Becoming a parent doesn't come with an instruction manual, so working with families to help equip them with the confidence, knowledge, and skills to support their child's development is invaluable.

"I'm proud of the warm, supportive environment our sessions provide, and it's fantastic to see the strong community and lasting friendships that have grown from it.

"Whilst helping and supporting parents remains one of the key cornerstones of Healthy Goals, we also aim to ensure sessions are fun and engaging for the children so they can enjoy them, as well as learning and developing.

"We are fortunate to have welcomed so many children at a young age and watched them grow and develop until the time comes for them to leave us at five. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of each child's journey."

'Group helped me massively'

Healthy Goals, which now has funding secured until 2028, has also proved a popular destination for player visits, including Marshall Munetsi, Dan Bentley, Pablo Sarabia, Jose Sa, Mario Lemina and Romain Saiss.

As well as the various fun activities and workshops, participants can also learn about healthy nutrition, including a supply of fruit available at every session.

Speaking about the impact of the project, one parent said: "I can't describe how much support the team have given me.

"Coming to the groups every week has supported the development of my son but also helped me massively as a parent.

"I'm so grateful to have found somewhere where I feel welcomed and that provides wonderful early experiences for our baby."