Grimsby Town Foundation and Grimsby Town Football Club are delighted to have become the first local businesses to complete the new North East Lincolnshire SEND Business Charter Mark training.
The charter mark, created by the North East Lincolnshire Council Special Educational Needs and Disabilities service, the North East Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum, and local businesses, recognises businesses and organisations locally that follow inclusive practices, supporting families to access their community.
Representatives from the North East Lincolnshire Council, Anne-Marie Batson and Annie Cook, were in attendance at Grimsby Town’s final game of the 2024-25 season to present the Club and Foundation with their Charter Mark recognition.
On the announcement, Jennifer Steel, service director for Education, Inclusion and Integration at North East Lincolnshire Council, said, “We know that we have a great community of businesses in the local area who want to support and invest in all of our young people.
“This training supports them to be inclusive and more confident in providing services to children and young people – particularly those with additional needs.
“I’m really pleased to see GTFC and the Grimsby Town Foundation leading the way. GTFC were the first local organisation to become a foster friendly business, so this is a great next step.”
On becoming the first SEND-friendly business in the local area, Jason Land, Head of Inclusion at the Foundation, said, “To be recognised as an organisation for doing everything we can to be as inclusive as we can for people with special educational needs and disabilities(SEND) is a huge honour, and to be the first organisation in North East Lincolnshire to receive the Charter Mark shows our dedication and inclusion is at the hart of what we do within our local community.
“Our inclusion work within schools, having our own SEND football teams linked to the Football Club and our SEND specific football pathway programmes really do make a difference within our local community giving people with send the same opportunities as everyone else.”
“As well as all the things the Foundation are doing regarding inclusivity, we also work very closely with the Football Club and the Disabled Supporters Association to make Blundell Park as inclusive as possible and make the matchday experience as accessible for everyone, with initiatives such as our sensory bags, our recently-opened sensory room, along with the Club’s Disability Supporters Officer, Jane Stephenson, who supports people with disabilities on matchdays and I believe this shows our dedication.”
Jason finished by saying, “We’d like to say a huge thank you to North East Lincolnshire Council for recognising our hard work and efforts. Football really is for everyone and we are so proud to say we are doing our best to be as inclusive as possible for everybody.“
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