Everton in the Community signs Anchor Framework
Thursday, 7 December 2023
Everton in the Community has become the latest organisation to sign the Cheshire and Merseyside Anchor Framework which aims to strengthen local communities.
The Cheshire and Merseyside Anchor Framework brings large local employers together to recognise how they can make a difference in reducing health inequalities and improving health and wellbeing.
The principles of the framework include paying the real living wage, purchasing locally and for social benefit, using buildings and spaces to support communities, widening access to quality work, working more closely with local partners and reducing environmental impact.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside launched the Anchor Framework in 2022 to bring partners together to explore how social value can be embedded across the region.
Since its launch, 20 organisations from across the NHS, Local Authorities, the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise Sector (VCFSE) and other large employers have now signed the charter.
Everton in the Community is the official charitable arm of Everton Football Club and is committed to transforming lives and creating positive change in the communities it serves. Established in 1988, the charity has become a powerful force for good; harnessing the unifying power of football to drive social change and addressing societal challenges across Liverpool City Region.
The charity delivers more than 60 projects and initiatives a year, each specifically designed and developed to tackle issues such as inequality, health disparities, educational attainment, poverty, mental health, unemployment with a resolute commitment to making a tangible difference.
Michael Salla, Deputy CEO for Everton in the Community, said:
“We are proud to be the latest signatories for the Cheshire and Merseyside Anchor Framework, further cementing our commitment and dedication to providing vital services for our local communities in line with the charter.
“We have been supporting the people of Liverpool for more than 35 years with a wide range of programmes and initiatives that tackle a variety of societal challenges, working in a way that aligns to the charter’s objectives. The last decade has seen us grow and invest more than £13million into the regeneration of Liverpool 4 with the building and development of community buildings and assets.
“We are looking forward to working closely with other cross sector partners and playing our part in helping to shape our region’s development as a better place to live and work.”
Raj Jain, Chair of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and the Anchor Assembly, said:
“It’s fantastic to have Everton in the Community, who already do such important work for local people, sign the Cheshire and Merseyside Social Value Charter.
“We want everyone across the region to recognise their contribution to social value and the changes it can bring to reducing avoidable health and wellbeing inequalities and the Charter will help us to achieve that.”
The 20 organisations to have already signed up to the Cheshire and Merseyside Social Charter are:
- Everton in the Community
- Alzheimer's Society
- Cheshire and Wirral Partnership
- Cheshire East Council
- CVS Cheshire East
- Halton Borough Council
- Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS Cheshire and Merseyside
- One Wirral CIC
- Roche
- Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS)
- Sefton Council
- St Helens Borough Council
- The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
- The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
- Torus
- Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
You can find out more about Social Value in Cheshire and Merseyside here.
Find out more about Everton in the Community here.