Media centre

Wednesday 4 Oct 2006

NETWORK RAIL INVOLVED WITH INNOVATIVE YOUTH PROGRAMME

Region & Route:

| Southern

Network Rail is investing £100,000 to become a key partner in an innovative social inclusion programme being run through Charlton Athletic Football Club. Covering the whole of the Kent the project aims to use football to engage local communities and divert thousands of youngsters from anti-social activities including trespassing on railway lines, vandalism or spraying graffiti. The project will use sport to get across positive messages regarding issues such as crime, drug misuse, racial awareness and sex education. The programme, which is the biggest single community scheme project in the UK, was launched by former England international Sir Trevor Brooking and Addick’s £2m signing and Champions League winner Djimi Traore. The social inclusion project has taken nearly two years of planning and sees CAFC join forces with several partners alongside Network Rail, including the Football Foundation, Kent County Council, Kent Police, Kent Fire & Rescue and Kent County Football Association. Andrew Munden, Network Rail’s Route Director for Kent said: "Network Rail regards the programme as an extremely positive step for Kent and is pleased to be a partner with CAFC on such an ambitious and comprehensive campaign. We spend a lot of time and money educating young people in the county on the dangers of trespassing on railways and welcome a programme which offers football and education as more productive alternatives to vandalism or messing around on railway lines." Sir Trevor Brooking commented: "Football has a proven ability to engage with hard to reach groups, particularly people from deprived areas. It plays an important role in addressing symptoms of economic and social deprivation, alienation and exclusion." Covering the whole of the Kent the project aims to use football to engage local communities and divert thousands of youngsters from anti-social activities including trespassing on railway lines, vandalism or spraying graffiti. The project will use sport to get across positive messages regarding issues such as crime, drug misuse, racial awareness and sex education. The programme, which is the biggest single community scheme project in the UK, was launched by former England international Sir Trevor Brooking and Addick’s £2m signing and Champions League winner Djimi Traore. The social inclusion project has taken nearly two years of planning and sees CAFC join forces with several partners alongside Network Rail, including the Football Foundation, Kent County Council, Kent Police, Kent Fire & Rescue and Kent County Football Association. Andrew Munden, Network Rail’s Route Director for Kent said: "Network Rail regards the programme as an extremely positive step for Kent and is pleased to be a partner with CAFC on such an ambitious and comprehensive campaign. We spend a lot of time and money educating young people in the county on the dangers of trespassing on railways and welcome a programme which offers football and education as more productive alternatives to vandalism or messing around on railway lines." Sir Trevor Brooking commented: "Football has a proven ability to engage with hard to reach groups, particularly people from deprived areas. It plays an important role in addressing symptoms of economic and social deprivation, alienation and exclusion."