BURTON Albion Community Trust staff have received an EFL Award at a special House of Commons ceremony.
The Pirelli Stadium Vaccination Centre was named the EFL Community Project of the Year for League One after delivering more than 250,000 life-saving Covid jabs to the people of East Staffordshire.
The Pirelli Stadium Vaccination Centre opened in December 2020 and reached a quarter of a million doses delivered at the end of March 2022.
The football club donated the stadium and provided facilities free of charge to the NHS. Burton Albion Community Trust staff worked with NHS colleagues to establish the centre and recruited dozens of volunteers to ensure the operation ran smoothly.
In April 2021, BACT took over the operations freeing the NHS staff and setting the project apart with its ambitions and scope. That has been recognised by the EFL in this season’s awards.
Matt Hancock, BACT Head of Community, was among the staff who travelled to London to receive the award.
He said “We are delighted to be at the House of Commons to receive this brilliant award for what is perhaps the most important project ever undertaken by the trust and football club and which has been at the very centre of the pandemic response.
“The commitment of the football club, community trust and volunteers to make this happen has been amazing and we are delighted we could come to London and showcase all that has been achieved.”
The EFL Community Project of the Year Winners are:
Championship - Preston North End
The club won judges over with its innovative project supporting members of its local community marking Ramadan and Eid. The club has also implemented a multi-faith prayer room for its supporters of all faiths, enabling fans to pray before and after games should they need to.
League One – Burton Albion
Burton Albion has been acknowledged for its success in supporting the NHS at the Burton Albion Vaccination Centre during the pandemic where more than 250,000 vaccinations have been carried out – a major undertaking for the club.
League Two – Swindon Town
Judges were blown away by Swindon Town’s ‘Project Me’ mentoring initiative launched in response to the pandemic to support children with mild-to-moderate mental health concerns.
The overall winner will be announced at the EFL Awards on April 24.