In a bid to support its older and vulnerable neighbours who may be feeling lonely, the club is asking supporters to become a ‘Red Pal’ and brighten someone’s day by drawing a picture, writing a letter or producing a poem to send to a member of the local community.
Fans wishing to join the Red Pals club just need to send their creations via email to RedNeighbours@liverpoolfc.com and they will then be sent to some of the oldest residents around the Anfield area to bring a smile to their face and show they’re not alone during the pandemic.
The club’s official charity, LFC Foundation, is also encouraging participants from its Inclusion programme to get creative and become a Red Pal.
Continuing with its commitment to keeping people connected during this difficult time, the club is also still reaching out to the community via its LFC Connect call service. The service launched last year in the wake of the pandemic to offer weekly calls to help reduce feelings of isolation among those most vulnerable within the community who are currently having to remain at home.
As part of the LFC Connect initiative, the club has teamed up with a number of charities and support agencies, such as the NSPCC, Samaritans, Age UK and MIND, to ensure fans who need support or may feel alone can access help and advice, or just enjoy a friendly chat.
The club offers its own safeguarding service, where fans can access support and guidance, plus view a list of the charities LFC has partnered with, via LFC Foundation’s website at https://foundation.liverpoolfc.com/about-us/safeguarding.
Those in need of support can also use the Hub of Hope national mental health database to find a helpful service that specifically covers their area. The Hub of Hope is available to anybody at hubofhope.co.uk and is a free, downloadable app on iOS and Android devices. Once the app is downloaded, users can filter by category of service and postcode.