Local cancer patients whose exercise sessions with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation have been supported by regular visits from Bethany England this season got to repay the favour today as they visited our Training Centre at Hotspur Way.
The group took a tour of the facilities, greeting Bethany and team-mates at the end of training. They then enjoyed a relaxed Shape Up with Spurs session, during which Bethany dropped in with an invite to watch the team play Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Sunday (15 March).
Bethany has been committed to supporting the Foundation’s health and wellbeing sessions this season, not only visiting the cancer group, but also donating dumbbells and resistance bands.
In addition, she has been supporting residents of Lorenco House care home, around the corner from the stadium, who she returned to see last week alongside Molly Bartrip.
She is spurred on by her own experience of caring for her grandmother and having seen the impact of cancer on other family members.
Bethany said: “This is my fifth session with this group, but the first time they’ve visited our Training Centre. It was great to invite them into my world and for them to be able to watch the end of training – hopefully the experience takes their mind off any struggles they may be going through in everyday life. They’re such a great group and it was a pleasure to host them."
Among those to visit was long-time Spurs supporter Joan Lewis, who said: “It’s been mind-blowing to see the facilities here. I’m so grateful Beth’s shown an interest in our group and does what she does for us to help make life enjoyable and fulfilling.
“My diagnosis hit me for six and this group was just what I needed. The encouragement from the Foundation guys has been really good from the start and I found myself warming to what was being asked of me, then even trying to put in a little more – it really helped pull me out of the doom and gloom.”
Another member of the group, Roberta Hodgins, added: “It’s been lovely today – beyond what I expected. The companionship and camaraderie in this group has meant a great deal to me. It impresses me very much that Spurs isn’t just a football club, it’s a football family.”
The Foundation’s Shape Up with Spurs programme and the Active Memories programme it delivers at Lorenco House are made possible by the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Fund.
Administered through the Premier League Foundation, the funding helps football clubs tackle inequality and respond to local challenges, supporting people and their communities to be more inclusive.
Support also comes from the People’s Postcode Lottery and individuals who fundraise for the Foundation. The next opportunity to do so is at Stride for Spurs, a marathon and half marathon walk starting and finishing at the Stadium on Sunday 29 March.
You can show your support for Tottenham Hotspur Women when we take on Everton in the WSL at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, with tickets available here – just £15 for adults and £5 for juniors.