The Spirit Foundation has significantly increased its long-standing commitment to Everton in the Community and Everton Free School and Football College with a multi-year £2million funding partnership.

The two new programmes of support will commence in July 2024 with the aim of creating a lasting impact for disadvantaged communities in Merseyside.

The groundbreaking multi-year deal was confirmed recently when Spirit founder, philanthropist and Evertonian, Professor Ian Kilbride, attended one of Everton in the Community’s disability football sessions as well as visiting the Spirit Library at Everton Free School.

The Spirit Foundation will now financially support the charity’s 14 disability teams and, in addition, will provide funding to Everton Free School to improve literacy levels, as well as supporting marginalised students in its Football College. A long-standing friend and supporter of both organisations, The Spirit Foundation was founded in 1994 and is a non-profit foundation established to give back and support education, communities and wildlife projects.

A long-standing friend and supporter of both EitC and EFS organisations, the Spirit Foundation was founded in 1994 by the Kilbride family as a non-profit foundation to give back and support education, communities and wildlife projects.

Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Spirit Foundation has supported a wide array of Everton in the Community and Everton Free School projects and initiatives over many years, including the launch of a choir to combat social isolation across the Liverpool 4 district and, importantly, the establishment and building of a library within the Spellow Lane-based Everton Free School. The library has the simple, but important, objective of making literacy more accessible and engaging.

Within Everton in the Community, the £1million funding will see the Spirit Foundation become an Official Supporter of the charity’s disability teams with the organisation’s logo featured on all training wear. The Foundation’s directors will also be involved and take an active interest in the programmes.

Established in 2000, Everton in the Community’s disability programme has fourteen disabled teams that represent Everton Football Club and its charitable arm, including pan-disability and impairment specific teams, amputee, Down Syndrome, U13, U16 and both adult male and female pan-disability teams.

In addition to supporting Everton in the Community, the Spirit Foundation will also become an Official Supporter of Everton Free School and Football College with an additional £1m funding being provided to improve literacy via individualised literacy programmes for each student, as well as supporting young adults with educational needs in its Football College.

Chairman and CEO of the Spirit Organisation (www.spiritorganisation.com), Ian Kilbride, comments:

“We have worked with both EitC and Everton Free School over many years, but it was the enthusiasm and vision of Sue Gregory, CEO of EitC, and Steven Baker OBE, CEO of The People’s Learning Trust  – of which Everton Free School and Football College is the founder -, that inspired us to join forces on two long term and quite unique projects.

“We are delighted to be the Official Partner of EitC’s disability teams and the literacy development programme within EFS and we know that the combined £2m funding will have a meaningful impact.  With our 30-year history of success in educational and community-based projects, the Spirit Foundation (www.spiritf.org) is perfectly placed to work even closer with EitC and EFS.”

Sue Gregory, Chief Executive Officer for Everton in the Community, adds:

“The Spirit Foundation and Ian Kilbride are long-standing supporters of our charity and its programmes. We are so appreciative that they have pledged their long-term commitment to our work through the sponsorship of our fourteen disability teams. These teams provide competitive footballing opportunities for children and adults, and we currently support more than 130 disabled footballers each year, some of whom also represent their country internationally. This funding will enable us to further develop our teams to ensure we are offering these opportunities to as many people as possible.”

Steven Baker OBE, CEO of The People’s Learning Trust, adds:

“I am incredibly proud of the partnership that we have forged with The Spirit Foundation.  Professor Kilbride has been a key supporter of Everton Free School and Football College for a number of years, helping us to tackle disadvantage and raise literacy outcomes for our students.  This generous donation to the trust will allow us to continue our innovative work and research, and support even more children and young people across the region.”

Principal of Everton Free School, Claire Lamontagne added:

“Professor Ian Kilbride has been an ongoing supporter of Everton Free School and Football College since its inception 12 years ago. His philanthropy enabled the development of our school library, helping us to achieve fantastic outcomes for the students in our care. The Spirit Foundation’s ongoing support for our school is testimony to its commitment to tackle disadvantage for children and young people in Merseyside, who often face daily challenges in their lives.”

As the charitable arm of Everton Football Club, Everton in the Community is committed to transforming lives and creating positive change in the communities it serves. Established in 1988, the ground-breaking charity has become a powerful force for good; harnessing the unifying power of football to drive social change and addressing societal challenges across Liverpool City Region.

And in 2012, Everton in the Community created history when it became the first Club-Community scheme in the country to be awarded funding by the government to open a free school; a ground-breaking initiative for young people across Merseyside.

Everton Free School caters for young people aged 13-16 and offers an alternative education pathway to those where traditional methods in mainstream schools have failed. The college offers an ‘open’ sixth form and attracts many 16-19-year old students who choose to study sport in the environment and surroundings of a renowned Premier League football club at Spellow Lane, Vauxhall Motors Football Club, Jericho Lane and Bridge Chapel.

Read the full press release.

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The five-a-side game finished 7-7 and saw the two teams managed by Club Ambassadors Ian Snodin (Toffees) and Graham Stuart (Blues) and they were cheered on by proud parents and participants from our Youth Zone programme.

Everton in the Community’s Disability programme was established back in 2000 and we currently have 14 disabled teams that represent Everton Football Club and Everton in the Community, including pan disability and impairment specific teams, amputee, down syndrome, U13, U16 and both adult male and female pan disability teams. Our Down syndrome team was established in 2014 and we currently have 12 participants attending weekly training sessions.

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An Everton Free School youth worker described as “a force of nature” has spoken of her shock at being awarded a British Empire Medal in The King’s Birthday Honours.

Danielle Cooper, who has worked at the Alternative Provision Free School in Walton since 2017, has been recognised for her services to vulnerable children and young people in Merseyside.

Having initially joined the school as a teaching assistant, Danielle later qualified as an English teacher, before turning her attention to safeguarding the welfare of students who have previously struggled in a mainstream education setting.

Her work in helping youngsters turn their lives around and, in many cases go on to pursue further education and employment, saw Danielle put forward for the honour, with her nomination being supported by the Department for Education (DfE).

She has also been credited by colleagues for helping increase the school attendance average by 25 per cent.

Danielle will now receive her honour at a local celebration event later in the year and has also been invited to a royal garden party to formally mark her achievement.

“I got a letter in the post and it looked very formal. It was a brown envelope and I thought, ‘that’s never good news’!” said Danielle, whose award was confirmed on Saturday as part of the formal announcement of the King’s Honours. “I couldn’t believe it. I had to read it about six or seven times to digest it properly.”

Danielle was told her work with one student in particular had prompted her nomination. The student in question overcame adversity and numerous failed attempts to settle in other schools to gain qualifications at Everton Free School and later employment.

However, she insists this is just one example of the many youngsters whose lives have been transformed by the school and those who work there.

Last week, the school was given an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating in a report that described its provision as “remarkable”.

Danielle said: “We’re talking about young people with extreme hardship – young people who have been through so much. It’s just a case of someone having their backs and fighting their corner, then pointing them in the right direction and giving them an opportunity.

“We taught [the student] how to cook, how to use public transport, got him his GCSEs… he’d been through six different schools and didn’t trust anyone. By the end he was so confident, assured, and succeeding in every way possible. It was lovely to see the difference that can be made when the right services are put in place.

“Genuinely, though, what makes me most proud is working with my colleagues in the school. They’re such a selfless group of people – everyone in this school deserves it.”

Steven Baker OBE, a former Everton Free School principal who now heads up The People’s Learning Trust, Everton’s Multi-Academy Trust, contributed to the nomination of Danielle.

It is not the first time her efforts have been recognised as last April she received ‘The Inspirational Educator for Alternative Learning Provision’ accolade at the Worshipful Company of Educators Awards.

Baker praised Danielle for repeatedly going above and beyond in her care and support of students and believes she is fully deserving of any reward that comes her way.

He said: “Danielle is officially a youth worker and teacher but she’s also a coach, a mentor, a family support worker… the list goes on.

“She will basically do anything and everything to help our students and their families. She works with some of the most disadvantaged in society but her motto for them is the same as Everton’s – nothing but the best is good enough.

“Anybody who has the good fortune to work with Danielle would call her a ‘force of nature’, which she truly is.”

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As many of you know, I have been at Everton Free School and Football College since September 2021, and I have been fortunate enough to work with Claire Lamontagne in her role as Head of School. I am delighted to inform you that Claire has accepted the position of Principal of Everton Free School and Football College. On 25th April Ofsted rightly recognised the work that we do, judging Everton Free School and Football College as outstanding in every category; and Claire will ensure that Everton Free School and Football College continues to progress with the same ethos, values and relational approach that we have worked hard to develop. I have every confidence in Claire and the staff here that they will continue to take the Free School and Football College from strength to strength.

The school and community are very important to me, and I wholeheartedly support our values of respect, responsibility and resilience and we continually strive to improve the children’s learning experiences. Everton Football Club’s motto “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum” informs everything that we do, and we believe passionately that our students deserve “Nothing but the Best”. We are fortunate to have an incredible team of committed staff who endeavour to deliver an innovative, personalised curriculum that is supported by our partners, and we are confident that we have laid solid foundations for a very exciting future for our students, families and the wider community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support throughout my time at Everton Free School and Football College and I look forward to continuing to work with all the staff and students here as we embark on the next stage of our journey. I wish you and your family and the wider community all the very best for the future.

Steven Baker OBE FCCT

CEO

The Peoples Learning Trust

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