Donation helps college pan ability football team to play in national championships

A college football team can play at the national championships thanks to a donation from a charity set up as the legacy of a Lancaster school.

Lancaster & Morecambe College’s pan ability football team won the North West finals and secured a place at the AoC Sport National Championships in Nottingham.

Thanks to the support of the George Fox School Educational Charity (GFSEC), the mixed‑ability, mixed‑gender team will join students from across the country at the event, hosted at Nottingham University in April.

Now in its 46th year, the AoC Sport National Championships is the largest annual further education student sporting event in Europe, bringing together more than 1,300 competitors in 2025.

Participants qualify through regional tournaments held throughout the academic year.

GFSEC is helping to fund the team’s participation in the three‑day event, removing financial barriers for local families and ensuring students can attend without worrying about transport, kit or accommodation costs.

Alongside a full day of fixtures, the team will also take part in the opening and closing ceremonies.

“We began working with the George Fox School Educational Charity around a year ago, and they have already supported many of our students and apprentices through one‑off grants for transport, kit and access to opportunities such as work placements," said Victoria Carter, the college’s Head of Engagement.

"When I mentioned the pan ability team’s success and the financial challenges involved with Paul Britton from GFSEC, he offered to raise it with the trustees. We were delighted when they agreed to help fund the team’s attendance at the National Championships.”

Paul Britton from GFSEC recently visited campus to meet two of the students representing Lancaster and Morecambe College and to hear more about how the funding will support them.

The students shared a letter of thanks for the trustees, and their tutor, Liam Williams, described how the team secured their place in the final with a nail-biting finish, scoring a last‑minute goal.

The team has promised to keep Paul and the trustees updated during the championships in April and will proudly wear their kit as they take to the field.

The pan ability team provides inclusive sporting opportunities for students with a wide range of disabilities and health conditions.

GFSEC was set up following the closure of the George Fox school in Lancaster in the 1990s.

The charity provides grants for educational, musical, and sporting pursuits for people under 25 in North Lancashire and South Lakeland

An annual dinner for former George Fox School pupils and their family members will be held at Morecambe Golf Club on Saturday March 21. More details available HERE.