Publish date: 8 August 2023
Two major North East football clubs unite to reach shared goal for region
As the football season kicks off, Newcastle United Foundation and Sunderland AFC’s Foundation of Light have embedded a new programme to support staff and visitor wellbeing.
Staff at the two foundations have completed Making Every Contact Count (MECC) training to give them the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support the health of others and encourage positive behaviour change.
A key focus of MECC is about the prevention of ill health and the small changes that we can all make to maintain health and wellbeing, and ensure longer, healthier, and happier lives.
Coming into contact with so many supporters and visitors daily, staff at the two clubs are well-placed to engage people who may not access traditional NHS services. The training will help them to identify and support people to tackle issues such as loneliness, finances, mental health, alcohol, and healthy weight amongst others that can have an impact on wellbeing.
Jacqueline Critchley, Senior Health & Wellbeing Coordinator at Newcastle United Foundation said:
“The MECC training was important to enhance and evolve our current delivery, ensuring that every interaction with a participant is underpinned by clear direction.
“Our health and wellbeing team at Newcastle United Foundation engages with so many different areas of the community and we cover a wide range of programmes aimed at increasing activity levels, promoting mental health, and aiding personal growth.
“We plan to utilise MECC at every opportunity and embed it within our daily practice, both with other staff members and with participants.”
The collaborations help with MECC’s aim to reach and improve the lives of 3 million people across the North East and North Cumbria.
Lee Crosby, Head of Informal Community Education at Sunderland’s Foundation of Light said:
“MECC training is informative and engaging and provides clear questions and pathways for discussions with the participants that we interact with daily.
“The Foundation of Light work with a wide range of people from a variety of backgrounds, so having this tool will complement the work we do. It will enable our team to ensure support and provision to the individuals and families that we work with.
“We’ll be encouraging more of the team to get involved with MECC to deliver more benefits to our community.”
MECC training, which is a half day course, has also recently been accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and can be completed by any organisation in the region.
Craig Robson, the regional MECC lead, said: “The idea behind MECC within our region is that it isn’t just healthcare workers than can contribute to promoting good health. Many organisations and people can and are doing this.
“It’s amazing that RSPH have accredited our training, and that Newcastle United Foundation and Foundation of Light have undertaken it. This further proves that anyone can get involved with MECC to widely benefit the region and make a difference to their communities.
“It’s a culture shift, but if we can make this a part of everyone’s business then these conversations can support people to think about the impact that small changes can make. This includes being mindful of factors such as finance, transport, and housing.”
The regional MECC training programme forms part of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System’s (ICS) work to ensure we achieve better health and wellbeing for all in the North East and North Cumbria, to help people live healthier lives for longer and is hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
To learn more about MECC and how you can get involved, visit www.
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Jesse Ngonyama, marketing assistant apprentice