Premier League charitable arm signs up to pioneering gambling harm prevention partnership

Everton in the Community will be working with a leading gambling harm reduction charity and the NHS Northern Gambling Service in a trailblazing new partnership to provide support for individuals who have been affected by gambling.

The Big Step is a football-focused gambling education project and part of the Gambling with Lives charity and they will be working alongside the NHS and the official charity of Everton Football Club to reach out to supporters, staff and the wider community to deliver a community-based education, training and signposting programme.

Delivered by staff with lived experience of gambling harm, the 18-month ‘Gambling Harms Prevention’ programme will actively help people who have been significantly affected by gambling and enable them to access specialist treatment through the NHS Northern Gambling Service.

Alongside signposting towards treatment, the programme will deliver evidence-based education, awareness and training delivered by experts through the medium of football and its wider community-based settings.

James Grimes, Senior Programme Manager at Gambling with Lives and Founder of The Big Step, said: “I am delighted to announce our partnership with Everton in the Community, whose community scheme is renowned for improving lives. As a recovering gambling addict, I am passionate about preventing young people going through the same thing that I did. During 12 years of addiction, I felt that football failed to provide adequate warnings or help that I so desperately needed. This partnership will show how football can be a positive social vehicle in preventing and reducing gambling harms in its community through our education, awareness and signposting work. We are proud to partner with the NHS Northern Gambling Service which will provide access to treatment for people experiencing gambling related harm.”

Matt Gaskell, Consultant Psychologist and Clinical Lead at the NHS Northern Gambling Service said: “I’m delighted that Everton in the Community is partnering with the NHS Northern Gambling Service and we are determined to make their commitment a fantastic example to other clubs up and down the football ladder. The education and training expertise from The Big Step combined with our NHS specialist treatment programmes gives Everton a powerful strike force in reducing gambling harm across its fan base and local community.”

Johnnie Garside, Health and Wellbeing Manager at Everton in the Community, added: “We are really exciting to be launching this pilot programme in partnership with The Big Step and NHS Northern Gambling Service. We understand that problem gambling is a lifestyle issue that crosses over into a lot of the work we do in supporting people with mental health and wellbeing difficulties and this underlines the importance of this collaborative programme so we can help to educate more people about the dangers of gambling and best support those whose gambling habits are out of control.”

Established in 1988, Everton in the Community delivers more than 40 programmes a year, specifically designed and developed to combat a range of social issues such as mental health, employability, dementia, education, disability, poverty and homelessness.

James Grimes’ story

James Grimes is a lifelong football fan and recovering gambling addict. Born in 1990, he grew up in Norfolk supporting Peterborough United and got hooked on gambling aged 16. In 12 years of addiction he’d lost around £100,000 admitting that he couldn’t watch football without betting.

In December 2019 James was nearly two years clean and had moved to Manchester. That same year he founded the Big Step charity project, which walks and talks football clubs through the dangers of gambling to protect the next generation of fans.

James’ addiction caused him to lose two jobs, relationships, trust within his family and career prospects, as well as seeing him rack up 20 different pay-day loans. In the summer of 2019 he walked 125 miles between eight different football stadiums and raised nearly £4,000 as part of The Big Step.

Watch James’ story on You Tube at https://youtu.be/f6HeERlhSLs

The Big Step

The Big Step is a Gambling with Lives charity project formed from lived experience of gambling harm. They advocate for a public health approach to preventing gambling harm through campaigning, education and awareness work in football. Visit www.the-bigstep.com

Gambling with Lives

Gambling with Lives was set up by the families and friends of young people who had taken their own lives as a direct result of gambling. They support families bereaved by gambling related suicide and raise awareness of the suicide and mental health risk of gambling. Visit www.gamblingwithlives.org

The NHS Northern Gambling Service

The NHS Northern Gambling Service provides specialist addiction therapy and recovery to people affected by gambling addiction, as well as those with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and suicidal feelings. They also provide help to people close to those with gambling addiction, such as family, partners, and carers. The service is hosted by Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

If you’re struggling with gambling addiction or know somebody that is, you can get help from the NHS Northern Gambling Service by calling on 0300 3001490, email referral.ngs@nhs.net or search “NHS Northern Gambling Service” online. Find out more at http://bit.ly/NHS-NGS.