How the Saints Foundation has continued its vital work during the Covid-19 pandemic

With the country going into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Foundation's revenue streams mirrored the schools, shutting down almost overnight.

It was a frightening situation as those in charge of the Foundation fretted about where the funds would come from to support vulnerable people in the local community.

The mantra of using the club’s values and the power of sport to educate, inspire and support young people suddenly seemed so tough to live up to.

It looked like regular programmes that drive positive change in communities across Northamptonshire and beyond would have to be put on the backburner.

Thankfully though, the Foundation, which gets its money from the charges it makes for its social inclusion programmes and from fundraising, was able to keep its Engage programme going on a face-to-face basis.

That allowed it to continue to support some of the most vulnerable people in the community and, crucially, kept at least one revenue stream open.

The programmes for young people aged 16-plus, the Premiership Rugby-supported Hitz programme and the Foundation's own Engage+ programme moved to a distance learning model overnight.

Maintaining them protected and supported the young people on these programmes, but the financial impact was significant, and frantic fundraising work was planned in a bid to keep the Foundation afloat.

Emergency Covid-19 grants and local foundation grants were applied for and things such as a special Saints memorabilia auction came into play.

Every avenue was explored and, to this day, the Foundation, which was launched in September 2018, has been able to function, even with nine of its 13 full-time staff furloughed.

But while the waters are slightly less choppy now, the next storm is never too far away.

And managing director Catherine Deans, who joined the Saints Foundation in June 2019, is desperate for people to continue to back the fantastic work that her and her team are doing at Franklin's Gardens.

"I worked in charity ahead of this role and I've been a supporter of the club for years," Deans explained.

"When I was approached for the role, it looked like my ideal job - a combination of education, inclusion and charity in the sport that I love.

"It was everything I needed and the potential was really obvious to see.

"We're merely scratching the surface of those kids who are not in education, employment and training.

"We're working with an absolute minimum number of those and the breadth we can work in has massive potential.

"The return we can get on supporting those vulnerable kids and disadvantaged kids is the motivation.

"We're trying our best and we have had some real positives come out of a really difficult situation.

"We're now looking to kick off September on a really strong footing."

Deans is extremely eager to keep raising awareness of the Foundation's work and 'show more people what that building with black, green and gold stripes on does in the corner of the village at the Gardens'.

There is no doubt that much has already been done in what is almost two years of the Foundation's existence, but there is still so much more to do and so many lives still to be changed for the better.

The journey through the pandemic has been far from an easy one, but the Foundation has remained open, offering young people a stable and safe setting during turbulent times.

Operations have been altered to work solely from Franklin’s Gardens, as all usual external partners were closed.

The Foundation has managed to ensure sessions were Covid compliant, meeting education regulations and working alongside elite sports regulations.

Students aged 16 and over have been transitioned from face-to-face to remote learning in order for them to complete their courses and obtain their qualifications.

Results are awaited but the same outcomes are expected, reflecting the exceptional commitment from Foundation's staff and students.

And Deans said: "Although we've been through the mill financially, because of the grants we've been awarded enough to secure us for six months.

"It's battling through the unknown and the grants will make a huge difference.

"We had to furlough a new team that just came together, I had everyone in place I wanted by January and then in March and April I was sending them all off again.

"It feels like we took five steps forward between August and November last year and when Covid hit we've had to take six or seven steps backward and pause everything.

"We've had to find ways through it and ways to keep the Foundation working."

And it is so vital that the Foundation does keep working, for so many reasons.

"Some of the kids have said to us that without this support at this time, they don't know where they would be," Deans said.

"There is a real nervousness because there has been some research that shows there is an increase in anti-social behaviour during these difficult times.

"We're worried that the kids who are on the periphery who we're trying to protect could take that step into gang culture and crime and just get caught up in trouble because they've not got the routine and regular contact they would have from schools and settings like ours.

"Social services are even more stretched at this time so it is about being able to maintain a level of support and being a point for them and we hope we're making a difference for them."

And it's not just about attitude, it's also about pure survival.

One of the most notable things that has been done during the pandemic has been a free food initiative in partnership with Greencore to provide lunches to children who would normally qualify for free school meals.

It is in support of Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford’s #maketheUturn campaign.

And it is something people at Saints feel passionately about, including international ace Courtney Lawes.

“It’s crucial we support vulnerable young people at a time like this where people have lost an incredible amount due to the pandemic and we must help them where we can and get them back on their feet," Lawes said.

And Lawes is not the only Saints player who plays a part with the Foundation.

The likes of Harry Mallinder and James Grayson are key figures in delivering help, along with several others.

And the support of the Saints stars is a big boost for Deans and Co.

"It's a real platform for us to use," Deans said.

"Not all of our kids like rugby but we do have some who are inspired by the support and we find that when the players pop in and out, they motivate and inspire young people the way normal people can't do.

"They are faces that people recognise and a number of the players give to us.

"Harry Mallinder is very vocal and active in his support of the Foundation and James Grayson is the same.

"Paul Hill is another one who is most commonly seen at the Foundation and he speaks to the kids about his rugby journey.

"Henry Taylor also appears quite often and he has an art degree so he did work with one of our students last year who is really interested in art.

"Henry did a lot of work to inspire him and the players are a really tangible link for us.

"We use the values of rugby to inspire and educate the kids and it makes it real for them to see the players demonstrate those values in real life."

Put simply, the Foundation has continued to find ways to innovate and to enhance its reach.

Although fundraising from matchdays has been halted, there has been backing from the club in the form of an initiative to donate 50 per cent of mask sales to the Foundation.

Virtual fundraising products – Friend of Foundation, Support a Student and Founder15 - have been developed and details can be found on the Foundation website, while the unique memorabilia auction raised more than £4,000.

Heritage work has been maintained, including on the Mobbs' Own project, and the research is uncovering wonderful stories on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, after having received a grant from the Northampton Police and Crime Commissioner's Making Northamptonshire Safer fund, the Foundation has launched its school holiday programmes with a two-week Aspire event this month.

The work will continue in school holidays through the 2020/21 academic year.

And Deans added: "We have navigated our way through the rough waters and I'm now 100 per cent confident we'll be back operating fully from September.

"The route hasn't been straightforward but we know we'll have our programmes up and running next month."

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