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Emily Gets a Headstart with Bolton Wanderers in the Community

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“My biggest fear about moving to high school was bullies and people making fun of me. I felt nervous and scared, however Ollie from Bolton Wanderers in the Community really helped me overcome my fear,”

Emily, Headstart participant with Bolton Wanderers in the Community.

Bolton Wanderers are one of ten Football Clubs in the North West who are part of the Headstart programme which is at the forefront of tackling the mental health crisis among our children. In 2020, one in six (16.0%) of children aged 5 to 16 years were identified as having a probable mental health disorder.

The transition from primary school to secondary school is a big time in a child’s life and is one that can trigger poor mental health. It is this crucial transition period which Headstart focuses on and looks to make better.

This was certainly the case with Emily who was very nervous about starting high school to the point that her fear of being bullied was causing considerable anxiety.

Emily and the Headstart team worked together to find ways of reducing her feelings of anxiety. Now settled in at her secondary school, Emily has not only overcome her own fears, but uses the skills and techniques learnt through Headstart to support other students who have been struggling with the transition to high school.

Emily said: “I really enjoyed being part of Headstart, it is very fun and my favourite things were the games and art. It has helped me a lot and I really appreciate how much they have helped me. Since I first started working on the Headstart project, I have learnt how to deal with my mental health and how to help it. I have also learnt a lot of new skills like what to do when I’m feeling down. I’ve found the support and guidance very helpful, and it has helped me so much, I wish it could go on longer.”

Bolton Wanderers in the Community’s Mental Health Transformation Officer, Ollie stated, “Working with young people across Bolton to help their transition from Year 6 to High School is extremely rewarding, especially when we see the transformations of pupils like Emily. Providing coping strategies and tools to not only help individuals but also allow them to support their peers shows the importance of these early intervention services. It was great to see Emily gain the confidence to go through this transition and we wish her the best going forward.”

To reward her amazing progress, Wanderers made Emily a community mascot at a recent Bolton cup match against Manchester United U21s. Facing her anxiety head-on, Emily walked onto the pitch with her favourite players in front of the crowd.

Emily’s mother reflected on the support her daughter has received: “I would like to say a huge thank you for all this for Emily. She has needed the guidance, and it makes me relieved to know that she has this support from Bolton Wanderers.”

Headstart programme helping young lives make a positive school transition

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Two Greater Manchester EFL Club Community Organisations joined forces to reward children who have taken part in a school mental health programme.

Wigan Athletic Community Trust and Bolton Wanderers in the Community – charitable arms of their EFL Football Clubs – invited dozens of children who have benefitted from the EFL Trust’s Headstart programme to a celebration event at the Brick Community Stadium.

The Headstart programme, supported by Mental Health Transformation Officers at several Club Community Organisations in the North West of England, has helped more than a thousand pupils making the transition from primary to secondary schools with their mental health.

Some of the young participants from Bolton and Wigan took part in a series of workshops and sporting activities to celebrate their involvement.

Trafford Grimes, Wigan Athletic Community Trust’s Mental Health Transformation Officer, said: “It’s important that we run events like this for our students that are working hard within our projects. 

“Physical and mental health are closely-related, and good mental health can positively affect physical health, so it’s been great to do this event with the support of Bolton Wanderers in the Community to celebrate the programme.” 

Year 7 pupil Lara, who started working with Trafford due to having challenges with anxiety, said the sessions have ‘raised her confidence’. 

“The sessions are good because we can just be ourselves, we have someone who can listen to us and the group sessions are fun because we can all be together in one safe space,” said Lara. 

“My anxiety is 100% better than it was.” 

Both EFL Club Community Organisations (CCOs) came on board with the Headstart programme thanks to funding and support from NHS Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Moving and local authorities; Wigan Council and Bolton Council.

Several other CCOs in Lancashire run the programme – thanks to support from the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity – all of whom aim to reduce strain on the NHS by targeting those children currently accessing or are at risk of needing to access children’s mental health services.

Debbie Cook, EFL’s Director of Community said: “EFL Club Community Organisations are well engaged within schools across their communities, and we’ve seen some wonderful and impactful examples of young people benefitting with their mental health when preparing for secondary school via the Headstart programme.” 

Oliver Pratt, Bolton Wanderers in the Community’s Mental Health Transformation Officer, added: “We support the pupils through Years 6 and 7, and we hope that with the classroom sessions and one-to-one support we provide, they have the skills when going to secondary school that can enable them to further thrive.”