World Mental Health Day event

On 12th October 2023 Coping Through Football ran a tournament in memory of volunteer Eric Gyapong to celebrate World Mental Health Day.

We were joined by four staff members from Massachusetts Financial Services (MFS) who kindly volunteered at the tournament, with the company providing the much-appreciated refreshments.

To ensure full inclusivity there were two separate tournaments: one for the development group and the other for the more skilled players.

We had an amazing turn out with 54 people playing in the tournament, including members of Eric’s family. Forty NELFT participants came from our Coping Through Football sessions in Redbridge and Waltham Forest and ten participants from an invited local organisations Change Grow Live (CGL).

There was lots of fun and laughter and the matches were played in good spirit. Winners and runners up from each tournament were awarded gold and silver medals.

Eric Gyapong had been a Volunteer Coaching Assistant and Befriender at Coping Through Football for ten years. He was really committed to the project and made time in his schedule to attend the group as often as he could. Even when he changed jobs, he still found time to fit it in. He would say ‘I need a regular dose of Coping Through Football’.

Eric had an abundance of positive energy and confidence which he shared with the group. He made good use of his communication skills to benefit others – and to make us laugh. Often the group members have lost their self-confidence and their self-esteem is greatly reduced. For those whose voices had been silenced by their mental health issues, Eric made sure to greet them and acknowledge their presence. He let them know they were not invisible, they were important. Eric would welcome new people as if they were old friends and made them feel welcomed and valued. During the session he would check they were OK, praise any effort they made and make sure that they would be coming back next week.