North East London NHS Foundation Trust are proud to announce that the Coping Through Football (CTF) project, which supports the recovery of adults (aged 18+) and young people (aged 12 -17) experiencing mental health issues through football based sessions, has won the Giving Confidence Award at the Personalised Care Awards 2025. 

Barbara Armstrong, Waltham Forest Lead for Social Inclusion & Joint Professional Lead OT MHS, shared: “We are so pleased that the project has been recognised in this way. The project has always tried to be innovative and forward thinking in its support to individuals experiencing mental health issues, by helping people find confidence, and more meaning in their lives. The project continues to go from strength to strength, and we look forward to our next year. Thank you to Will Slemmings for nominating us and to all those who continue to support the project.”  

CTF is a partnership project that supports the recovery of adults (aged 18+) and young people (aged 12 -17) experiencing mental health issues. CTF delivers therapeutic, recovery based sessions through a partnership between NELFT, London Playing Fields Foundation and Leyton Orient Trust. Delivered by qualified mental health staff and clinicians working with trained coaches from Leyton Orient Trust, Coping Through Football delivered a total of 290 sessions for 179 adults.  Through the programme:  

• 15 participants had applied for a job.
• 12 participants gained paid employment.
• 20 participants applied for a course.
• 16 participants attended a training session.
• 12 participants gained a qualification. 
• 17 participants gained volunteering experience. 

Multi agency funding from NELFT, LB Waltham Forest Public Health, LB Redbridge Public Health and the London Playing Fields Foundation ensures the ongoing success of the project. 

A service user shared with us how attending CTF sessions has helped them gain confidence: “At CTF, I’ve made good friends with one person, we talk on WhatsApp and text. We go out for meals; we go to the pub, and I share a lot of my worries with them. I’ve also done loads of courses: first aid at work, manual handling and a pre-care certificate that really helped me to look after my dad who has diabetes. I learnt how to test his blood sugar, blood pressure and how to inject the insulin.” 

Find out more about the Coping Through Football project here.