"A big partnership between ourselves and Asda"

There were hiccups along the way apparently, but Silsden A.F.C succeeded in completing the refurbishment of their stadium and stands by August 14th as planned.

The ground now has a capacity for 600 spectators, with the Asda Foundation stand offering seating for 100 people. After the structure for the stand was put in the place, the committee members themselves rubbed everything down, repainted and laid flooring to make sure they finished before their deadline.

So, on Saturday 14th, the club was able to host the first football game of the season in the new stadium. Sponsorship secretary Barry Thomas is delighted with how their plans have come together: “The Asda Foundation have made it so we have started a new season with a brand new stadium – debt free. It was a fantastic day on Saturday and the sun shone brilliantly”.

Check out the gallery below for a few action shots of the game:

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"You work, but it's fun as well" - Asda supports the Woodland Project at Ralph Thoresby school

Children at Ralph Thoresby School and Performing Arts college College in Leeds are getting their hands dirty, helping to develop a new nature area at the back of their school. A large area of wasteland is currently being dug over and re-designed to make way for a host of new activity and nature areas.

Included in the plans are an activity slalom course for wheelchair users, an outdoor classroom, vegetable patches and flower beds and a nature walk. The school has longer-term ambitions to include animal and wildlife areas as well.

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A new stadium in three weeks!

Silsden AFC in West Yorkshire is 106 years old this year. Unfortunately, the stadium looks it!

The wooden stand pictured is a sprightly young thing in comparison to the age of the club, having been built in 1936. However, at over 70 years old, plans are afoot to rejuvenate it.

The rest of the ground has undergone massive redevelopment over the last few years. Volunteers from the local community have worked hard to raise money and secure grants from the National Lottery and the FA to help them refurbish the club house – which now boasts a function room and six changing rooms overlooking the cricket pitch and football fields.

The Asda Foundation have recently donated £25,000 to the club to help them finish the last part of the project – the stadium and stands. There’s so much history to the ground that no one involved in the club wanted to pull down the stands to rebuild new ones. Instead they will be refurbished to improve the standing, seating, barriers and kitchen facilities. By way of thanks, they will be naming the stand The Asda Foundation Stadium.

And the club are planning to do all this in three weeks!

We’ll bring more news and pictures when the project is complete. You can see the work in progress in the gallery below and on the Silsden AFC website

"You can see the difference it's made to the kids"

Red Road Family Centre was set up 2 years ago in Robroyston, Glasgow, to provide single parents with respite support services.

The centre provides relaxation areas, counselling services and a creche for small children – allowing parents to have a break and also seek advice and support. The Asda Foundation donated £15,000 to the centre to help develop the services they provide.

The money went towards building a indoor physical play area and also transforming the backyard into a proper children’s play area.

Previously, children brought to the centre by their parents couldn’t play outside due to a lack of proper fencing and broken glass on the ground.

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Helping Tommy's reach more mums-to-be

The charity Tommy’s funds research into pregnancy problems and provides information to parents. To enable Tommy’s to reach out to more mums, the Asda Foundation have awarded the charity a grant of £112,000. Primarily, the grant will secure a freephone number for Tommy’s Pregnancy Information Line (currently 0207 3983483). The line is open Monday to Fridays, 9am – 5pm and is run by qualified midwives. The freephone number will be active as of October this year, meaning that mums can use the service entirely free of charge.

In addition, the grant from the Asda Foundation will also enable Tommy’s to provide a free internet and email service, a new training program for Tommy’s midwives and also support the development of Tommy’s website in order to improve the information available to parents and carers.