PEOPLE with learning disabilities in north Durham have been taking part in a Premier League club’s charity project.
Sunderland AFC’s Foundation of Light ran a 20-week course at Pelton Community Centre and is now leading weekly football sessions on an all-weather pitch at Chester-le-Street Football Club.
Adrian Geary, a support worker at the GOALs project for people with learning disabilities, praised the charity for its ongoing football coaching commitment to the group.
He said: “The football sessions are great fun and are great exercise for our service users.
“The Foundation of Light is amazing. The coaches that come down are highly trained and you can see that in the training sessions they provide for the service users.”
The Foundation of Light is the registered charity of Sunderland AFC, delivering life-changing programmes across Sunderland, South Tyneside and County Durham.
The County Durham GOALs programme is managed by Northern communities’ charity, DISC, and is designed for those with learning difficulties so they can live life to the full.
Foundation of Light sport development officer Joe Clayton said: “The group is brilliant to work with.
“We want to give everyone an opportunity to get involved in sport. It’s absolutely fantastic to be able to put smiles on other people’s faces. It gives me a great sense of joy.”
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