Millwall Community Trust have released the Annual Report for the year 2024.
The report covers the work and the impact the trust has had on the local community in the past year.
Click here for this year's annual report, click here!
Alternatively, click here: MCT ANNUAL REPORT 2024 (1).pdf
A word from our Chairman Keith Soper:
I am pleased to report that in 2024 we have achieved all the objectives set out in our 4-year Business Plan leading to another year of growth.
Our activities remain focused on the London Boroughs of Lewisham and Southwark and at a time when there are ongoing and challenging issues caused by the cost-of-living crisis and gang related violence our work has never been so vital.
I have nothing but admiration for our staff on the front line of our service provision.
We have seen a marked increase in the use of our food banks, and we remain grateful to the football club’s fanbase and supermarket chains for the donations they make which are essential to the well-being of so many families.
With support from the Department for Work and Pensions we have established a Job Centre at The Lions Centre adjacent to The Den and our various job fairs have proved a real success with hundreds of people of all ages and with the help of employers we are proud to have placed some people into employment, which is the key to unlocking so many personal challenges individuals face.
The number of free meals we provide to children to during the 13 weeks of the school holidays has grown in 2024 to 9,500. We are grateful to the football club for producing the meals and it is heartening to see so many children benefitting from this programme.
The simple truth is that low-income families would go hungry through a combination of a lack of money and energy poverty. We have seen an increase in the number of parents we feed also.
We continue to grow our programmes in a varied number of areas which are aligned with the strategic objectives of the councils in Lewisham, Southwark and Sevenoaks, where we have instigated programmes in line with the community development plan we have agreed with Sevenoaks District Council.
These programmes cover
the following areas:
- Community Engagement
- Education and Life Skills
- Employment and Training
- Health and Well Being including mental health and obesity
- Sport and Physical Activity
- Youth Interventions including anti-social behaviour, street violence and knife crime
There has been a marked increase in mental health issues and there is much more we can do in this and so many other areas but funding both at a local and at a national level is still very restricted.
We continue to put our case forward for funding to tackle these issues as our trust and other football related community trusts have the structure and the ability to effect the real change that wider society wants.
The implementation of our equality and diversity strategy in partnership with the football club is heralding real progress in this area. This important work is overseen by an EDI committee including club and trust officials, as well as fans.
Going forward we are seeking to introduce a Millwall Race Equality Partnership including representatives from local councils, colleges, universities, trade unions and many more organisations so as to extend the influence of our work in this area.
75% of the participants in our programmes and 82% of our staff come from BAME backgrounds, which underlines the importance of this work.
I must specifically mention the success achieved by the Millwall Romans, who now run two teams, and the Millwall Lionesses who are enjoying a very successful season following the trust taking on responsibility for it.
I never ceased to be amazed by the hard work and dedication of our trustees who receive no financial reward whatsoever for their valued contribution to the work of the board of trustees and its sub-committees on finance and governance.
Their passion for the work we do, and their good counsel is so impressive and makes my role a lot easier than it otherwise might be.
I must also thank our senior leadership team led by our hard-working and dedicated chief executive officer Sean Daly backed by Joubin Sarrami, John Scarborough and Tim Sells as well as all the full time and part time staff under them who are the life blood of our organisation.
Finally, thank you to everyone who supports our work. We are all very proud to be working to support communities, families and individuals under the badge of Millwall.
Keith Soper
Chairman
