The Morecambe FC club captain and a project bringing together Armed Forces veterans have both been recognised at a top football community awards ceremony.
Farrend Rawson and the Morecambe FC Community Sports Veterans' Project have both won at the EFL (English Football League) Community Awards 2024, held at the House of Commons in London on Tuesday.
The awards celebrate the very best in football club community work, recognising commitment, innovation and impact from clubs and players during the 2023/24 season.
Club captain Rawson has won the League Two EFL Player in the Community award after being acknowledged for his ability to carry his influence on the pitch into his community work and spread his enthusiasm for the importance of player support into the first-team dressing room.
Central defender Farrend has supported school projects, the Extra Time programme for the over 60s and at Christmas, organised players and staff donations to buy presents for children at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
In addition, scooping the EFL Community Project of the Season in League Two was the MFC Community Sports' Veterans Project, which aims to reduce isolation of Armed Forces veterans, as well as those that live alone and are elderly.
The project includes a monthly coffee morning held at the club, which brings Armed Forces veterans together.
Over 150 veterans signed up to the project, with a record number of 72 attendees at 2023’s end-of-year-event. The session provides a bacon butty, unlimited brews and a safe space for veterans aged from 19 to 90 to socialise with likeminded people.
"We are incredibly proud of Farrend, the Veterans Project and all of those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make such a positive impact in the community," said a spokesperson for Morecambe FC.
Beyond Radio regularly attends the Veterans Project coffee mornings to conduct interviews for our The Veteran's Story podcast. Listen to all the episodes here.
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