Derby County Community Trust has released its Annual Report this week, detailing how its projects and programmes have developed over the last 12 months to support over 30,000 local people.

In 2023, the charitable arm of the football club invested £3.5 million into its community projects – ranging from providing sports and activities to school children to reducing social isolation for elderly participants.

The report showcases the highlights of the past year, which have included the creation of many new programmes – from the already nationally recognised Menopause Matters project, to the newest football sessions put in place the youngest participants at Rammie’s Little Dribblers.

The past 12 months have also seen significant activity being delivered at Harrison’s Hub, the Community Trust’s community base within Pride Park Stadium, which first opened its doors in late 2022. It plays host to a range of the charity’s activities, including their important Community Meals – of which over 1,500 have been served this year.

Simon Carnall, Head of Community, said:

“We’ve really put emphasis on the organic creation of projects over the past 12 months, using financial backing from our board of trustees to bring new ideas to life, to continue to improve lives and communities.

“Our capacity to generate more of our own funds to propel these projects remains a high priority, and as we approach the end of the year we’ve kickstarted an initiative to increase our regular donors, building on work undertaken across the year to fundraise through matchday activations, hosting our first fundraising ball and staging a number of challenge events.

“We’d like to extend our thanks to our many funding, corporate and community partners that make our work possible, and to every single participant who has engaged with us across this year.”

Stephen Pearce, CEO at Derby County Football Club, and Trustee at Derby County Community Trust, added:

“The Community Trust is a huge part of Derby County and we are working more closely than ever as a fully integrated. As a football club, we launched our own new set of core values earlier this year to recognise the many facets of our club – one being ‘we are the heartbeat of our community’ – a sentiment that this report embodies.”

You can read the full report here