Everton in the Community (EitC) is celebrating after being named winner of the ‘Community Initiative of the Season, Premier League’ at the 2025 Spencer Chadderton Northwest Football Awards.
At a glittering ceremony in Manchester attended by footballing greats, industry leaders and community champions, the Club’s official charity took home the prestigious title in recognition of its BEAT Breathlessness Hub, a groundbreaking health project tackling chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions in some of Liverpool’s most deprived areas.
The BEAT Breathlessness Hub provides free, comprehensive screening for people experiencing chronic breathlessness, offering early diagnosis and support for conditions such as heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Funded through an unrestricted grant from AstraZeneca, the Hub is the first community-based heart and lung screening service of its kind in England, designed to show how early detection and localised care can transform long-term health outcomes.
By bringing diagnostics and treatment advice directly into the community, the Hub is helping reshape the future of preventative healthcare in Liverpool 4 – one of the most socially deprived 1% of neighbourhoods nationally. The initiative has dramatically shortened the diagnostic process, reducing what was once a six-month pathway to just 60 minutes.
During its pilot phase, the Hub screened over 1,100 people, identifying 12% with COPD, 18% with elevated blood pressure, and 3% with heart failure, ensuring that many residents received timely medical intervention for the first time.
The success of the BEAT Breathlessness Hub has already been recognised nationally and internationally, with Everton in the Community presenting its work at NHS ConfedExpo, winning ‘Most Impactful Partnership in Preventative Healthcare’ at the HSJ Partnership Awards, and being featured in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC): Heart Failure.
This latest accolade at the Northwest Football Awards reinforces EitC’s reputation as a leader in community-driven healthcare innovation, demonstrating how football can power meaningful, life-changing impact far beyond the pitch.
Reflecting on the NWFA award win, Jonathan Jones, EitC’s Director of Adult Services, said:
“We’re thrilled to see the life-changing work of our BEAT Breathlessness Hub recognised with the ‘Community Initiative of the Season’ award. Our community-based approach is reaching people who might otherwise remain undiagnosed and helping to improve health outcomes in Liverpool’s most vulnerable communities, including Liverpool 4. This award is a testament to the power of collaboration and the impact place-based health initiatives can have on long-term conditions.”
EitC would also like to place its thanks on record to Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science (LCCS), Pumping Marvellous Foundation, NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, Roche Diagnostics UK & Ireland, Lumira-Dx and Us2.ai for their collaborative efforts in helping the charity to deliver the Hub.
Elsewhere, the charity was also shortlisted as a finalist for the ‘Community Club of the Season’ award, cementing its reputation as a leading Premier League community scheme. EitC’s life-changing work reaches 156,000 people across the Liverpool City Region and beyond each year through more than 60 programmes in 162 venues, focusing on the most socio-economically deprived communities. Highlights from the past season include becoming the first CCO to achieve official ‘Anchor Institution’ status, gaining the NHS Social Value Award accreditation and winning an HSJ Award.
Now in its 18th year, the Northwest Football Awards champions the heart of the game across the region, from grassroots to the Premier League and Women’s Super League, recognising excellence, inclusivity and community commitment that make the North West the home of football.
You can find out more about Everton in the Community here.
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