A couple of months ago, with the lockdown across the country easing, Vivek Davda posted on a community Facebook group to see if anyone fancied a kick about at the local park.
Fast forward to the sweltering heat of yesterday (21st July), a side made up of local residents were kicking off against none other than a side made up of the local police force.
With the public wanting more than anything to get out and about following repeated lockdowns, there was a clamour of players wanting to lace up their boots.
The positivity for those involved; with long overdue social interaction and a big boost to mental health at the top of the list, the buzz on social media caught the attention of the North Bedfordshire Community Rural Police.
Bedfordshire Police have recently made commitments to use football to reach the younger generations, and are keen to spread their net far and wide in order to engage with the local community.
Read: Bedfordshire Police challenge youngsters to football match in order to “build trust”
The match itself was a close one, with Josh Bamford scoring the only goal for the newly formed Great Denham Swans in a competitive if warm, encounter.
North Bedfordshire Police were pleased with how the event unfolded, despite the result, with over 100 people from the local community coming out to support both teams.
“It was a great game of football after work against the residents of Great Denham. Lots of the community came down to watch too and we look forward to the rematch!”
Vivek was also delighted with how the game went: “‘It was a very good turnout from the community, thanks all for their amazing support”.
They normally say, “Football is the always the winner” but in this instance, the community was, as Great Denham showed there is always a home for football.
