Police football teams impressive community work earns runners-up honour at Lord Ferrers Awards

Wrexham Police FC’s impressive community work earned the team a runners-up honour at this year’s Lord Ferrers Awards in London.

The awards recognise outstanding contributions to volunteering in policing; those who give up their free time to make communities safer, and those who enhance the effectiveness of policing across England and Wales.

Formed in January 2022, the police side set out to forge stronger links between officers and the communities they serve.

Comprising off-duty male and female officers, the team have played regularly against community sides from North Wales and further afield to raise money for a wide range of charities.

To date, their efforts have raised over £17,000 for good causes, which include Wrexham Maelor’s children’s ward, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, and Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospices.

After their nomination in the Innovation category, club founder Sgt Dave Smith attended the awards show at Lancaster House on Thursday, 12 October.

He was joined there by fellow Wrexham Police FC players DC Dan Jones and Inspector Leigh Evans.

Sgt Smith said: “It was a real honour to be at such a magnificent venue and be amongst so many inspiring policing volunteers who make a real difference to their communities.

“The winner in our category was a volunteer from the Met who’d started up a community boxing project in London, which has made a real difference to local people.

“When we started out with this initiative, it was never about winning awards or even winning football matches – it was just about trying to break down barriers between the police and the public.

“Early on, we had to be proactive in seeking out community sides from Wrexham to play against us. Now it seems that we’re reaching the wider community and that clubs are now approaching us to get games arranged.

“That’s great from our point of view, because from the outset this project has been about strengthening the relationship between the police and the public and building lasting friendships.

“And it’s great because the more games we play – the further the reach of our message.”

A friendly match against the cast of Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks will be played in Broughton at 5pm on Sunday, 22 October.

Spectators are welcome to attend, with entry costing £3 for adults and £1 for children.

All funds raised will be donated to the Blue Light Card Foundation. Donations can also be made via this JustGiving page.