Millwall Holdings Plc : Fantastic Five!

Just over a year ago, Millwall Community Scheme employed five young people as part of the Lewisham Mayor's Apprenticeship Scheme.
Charlotte Pritchard, Brennan Mills, Leo Makula, Reece Thangarajah and Tom King became full time employees of the Scheme, delivering on a range of programmes and activities whilst working towards coaching, NVQ and apprenticeship qualifications.
Over the course of the year the five became known as the Lewisham Lions Team, after delivering a series of knife crime awareness workshops to teenagers and parents as part of the Lewisham Lions programme.
In all, they provided information to over 3,000 people on the dangers and legal implications of carrying a knife.
In addition, the team delivered RESPECT workshops to 1,200 Year 6 children in primary schools across Lewisham and Southwark, provided soccer schools for around 200 children in the summer holidays, arranged and delivered four tournaments involving 26 primary schools, and together have worked on more than 500 hours of social inclusion sessions that have provided activities and opportunities for over 400 teenagers.
Recently, the team completed the final qualifications in their apprenticeship framework, and were presented with their qualification certificates on the pitch before the Millwall v Doncaster Rovers match by Millwall FC Chairman John Berylson and Irish international goalkeeper David Forde.
Now that their apprenticeship is over, three of the team - Brennan, Leo and Tom - have been employed as Community Engagement Workers at the Scheme and will be delivering a second series of RESPECT workshops to an additional 1,200 primary school children, working on the award winning Millwall Kickz programme in Lewisham, whilst continuing to support schools coaching and holiday programmes and working towards an NVQ Level 3 qualification.
Charlottehas moved on to higher education and will continue to work part-time with the Scheme.
Reece will also continue to work part-time for the Scheme and has moved on to take a position working within a local secondary school.
Scheme Director Dave King said "The Lewisham Mayor's Apprenticeship Scheme has been a huge success for us and we are very proud of our team of apprentices.
The five of them are a credit to themselves and young people in general.
They are fantastic role models for the children and young people that they work with, having faced the same challenges that young people growing up in South Londontoday face."