A month-by-month overview of the club's community initiatives during the 2013/14 season
With the curtain having been brought down on Wanderers' domestic campaign earlier this month, this also saw the conclusion of a season of hard work in and around Bolton and the surrounding communities.
A ten month spell which saw over 150 player appearances across the town and nearly 34,000 people participate in Bolton Wanderers Community Trust's sessions, the 2013/14 season was one in which the club strengthened its relationship with supporters and residents of Bolton.
Over the next fortnight, there will be monthly overviews on offer of Wanderers' community activities, starting with August.
Prior to the start of the 2013/14 campaign, club manager Dougie Freedman opened a new community facility for the young people of Bolton at the club’s Lostock academy training ground.
Funded by the Premier League Community Facilities Fund and Bolton Wanderers Football Club, the pitch is used purely by Bolton Wanderers Community Trust, Club and Trust Education programmes and Bolton and Bury District Junior Football League at weekends.
Freedman was joined at the formal plaque unveiling by local children and a host of special guests from Bolton Wanderers, BWCT, the Premier League, the Football Foundation, Lancashire FA and BBDJFL.
As Wanderers kicked off their own competitive season with an opening day clash against Burnley at Turf Moor, the Community Trust’s cricket side began their own campaign as they travelled to Lords aiming to defend the National Street20 title that they had won the previous year.
An initiative that has worked with nearly 500 young people so far, the tournament saw teams from around the country attending with Bolton’s team made up of youngsters from the Goshia Mosque.
With the town represented in two separate teams, both sides managed to negotiate their way to the semi-finals of the competition where they were pitted against each other, with Bolton’s B team coming out on top before defeating Newcastle to retain their crown.
Finally, staff from the Community Trust were invited to attend a bowling tournament at Turton Bowling Club after recent work saw a defibrillator placed there as part of the club’s Hearts and Goals initiative.
The club raised funds to purchase the device earlier this year and have since been involved in a defibrillator workshop and attended a match day presentation to acknowledge their efforts.
As the month came to its conclusion, the club also unveiled NSPCC as their national charity of the year and Urban Outreach as local charity of the year – two organisations which benefited from the support of Wanderers during the course of the season as a whole.