Reading Football Club partners with local mental health charity
Both organisations are celebrating anniversary years
Last updated 9th Jun 2021
Reading Football Club is teaming up with locally-based mental health charity No5 for their 150th anniversary season.
No5 Young People is a charity which provides counselling and preventative outreach mental health services to children and young people aged 11 to 25 who live, work or study within the RG postcode area.
While Reading Football Club were founded in 1871, No5 began life as an organisation in 1971 – so while we honour our 150th anniversary next season, the charity will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in the very same year.
50 years ago, when No5 was starting up, Reading finished in 16th place in Division Four of the Football League - behind Southport, Workington and fourth tier title-winners Grimsby Town, two division below Oxford United and Swindon Town. They have come quite a way since.
Across 2021-22, Reading Football Club and its fans will support No5 and the work they do within the local community on a daily basis.
Increasing numbers of children and young people are asking for help with their emotional and mental health; No5 has seen a year-on-year increase in the number of young people asking for help - in the last year they have received 760 requests for support from young people, an increase of 160% compared to the same period in 2019-20 - and the expectation is that the demand for mental health support will further increase as the effects of lockdown continue to be felt by young people in the community.
To address this call for support, No5 is looking to enhance its preventative and outreach services whist developing new programmes, and aims to fund qualified, specialist counsellors to provide more sessions of support throughout 2021-22.
Alyson Wylding, No5’s Director, said about the partnership
“We are delighted to have been chosen as Reading Football Club’s Charity Partner for our 50th anniversary year and their 150th. This is a tremendous milestone for us both.
“Together we can highlight mental health, how to stay mentally well, how to spot the signs that you might need support and how to ask for help
The partnership will see No5 and Reading Football Club work together to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing, raise awareness of the issues mental health can cause and most importantly signpost young people to the support mechanisms in place to intervene and address those issues.