SWINDON Town Football in the Community Trust have just returned from their fifth successful visit to Livingstone in Zambia.

The eight members of the team were made up of three Community Coaches, a PFA Course Educator, two nPower volunteers alongside two The party, PFA course educators and volunteers, including two NEETs (young people currently not in full time education or employment) set off on Thursday, October 20 for 11 days of outreach work.

Over the course of the trip the Football in the Community team delivered coaching education to a Zambian coach association now boasting more than 50 members.

The visitors also put on in-school disability coaching sessions which culminated in a disability festival that saw 50 children with severe special educational needs and physical disabilities taking part.

The coaching element was also enhanced with the team providing girls only sessions which for many was their first taste of a structured football coaching session.

Through the charity ‘Lights for Learning’, the group from Swindon fitted a local school with a lighting system which will enable them to offer additional teaching lessons to the pupils and their parents.

The Community Trust also distributed books, footballs, kits, trainers and boots amongst the community and communities of the Livingstone district.

nPower kindly provided baseball caps and yoyos which were gratefully received by the children who engaged within the various programmes.

Jon Holloway who, along with Clive Maguire, jointly manages the Community Trust described the visit at the their most successful so far.

He said: “This has been by far our most productive and enjoyable trip to date.

“We were extremely lucky to have such a great team work tirelessly on our behalf to endeavour to make a difference to peoples’ lives in one of the poorest districts in the world.

“It is really gratifying to see the Coaches Association going from strength to strength and it was great to see Mike Cook from the PFA and Shane Hewlett deliver a comprehensive Coach Education Programme to some 50-plus coaches.

“We are hoping when we return in the future to further develop and enhance our disability programme, which again proved to be an overwhelming success amongst all the young participants.

“We would like to take this opportunity to sincere thanks to Big Yellow, nPower, Intel, Lights for Learning, DHL, local clubs and participants who have donated various items.”