The Dave Rees Training Grant is just one of the many initiatives that Tactical Solutions is involved in that helps support not just its colleagues, but the communities that are around us. The award was launched in loving memory of Sales Director, Dave Rees, who sadly passed away very suddenly, six years ago. The Dave Rees Training Grant was founded back in 2019, reflecting his philanthropic manner as someone who found joy in supporting others. We’ve been fortunate to become close with Dave’s family, and we understand the significance it holds for them that we continue honouring his memory.
Giving back to the local community
The Dave Rees Training Grant opens up to all Tactical Solutions colleagues on an annual basis. All of our colleagues have an equal opportunity to put themselves forward to receive a grant, which will help them in their journey of completing training that will result in a positive impact in their role, personal life or within the local community. This could involve something like mastering a new language, or advancing IT proficiency to take on additional responsibilities at work, the possibilities are truly endless!
The training grant is provided as a monetary grant, which the recipient can then allocate towards a course or any skill-based activity aligned with their personal goals. Moreover, the grant winner will be offered one full working day (or equivalent hours spread out) off from their time at work to dedicate to completing their chosen courses or qualifications. As a business, weâre committed to helping our workforce grow and are eager to support in their endeavours.
Reflecting back to last year’s winner
Last year, Mark Friedl, In-Store Sales (ISS) Management Executive, was the successful winner for the 2023 grant opportunity. As the Club Secretary for local Junior football club, AFC Willenhall, Mark used the grant money to help their coaches achieve extra training to enhance their roles within the club. A proportion of the grant was also used to enable coaches to attend a first aid course, which benefited them on matchdays, as well as training sessions.
Remembering Davesâ philanthropic mindset
Managing Director, Cathy Evans has the difficult task of choosing the winner of the grant each year. Reflecting on her memories of Dave and speaking on the training grant opportunity, she commented: âDave was one of those exceptional people who made time for everyone, was great at what he did, made you laugh and made you mad, but was truly respected and loved by all he met.
âDave had a real passion for training and giving back to people and was a lifelong LFC super fan. He spent many hours of his life living the ups and downs of that special community. With all these factors in mind, we wanted to create something long-lasting and something that he would have been proud of, reflecting his values and passions.
âIt has been amazing to see what support the scholarship has delivered â it has supported the setup and coaching facilities for ladies rugby teams and has supported safeguarding training in junior football clubs. Dave would have been so proud of all those involved and the great work our colleagues do in their own time.
âI know how much pride his family get from knowing we are doing this and keeping Dave’s memory alive in such a positive way. We will never forget the impact he had at Tactical Solutions on a business level but many of us have so many reasons to be grateful for his wise (although often straight to the point) advice and I know I, for one, will never forget him and his truly authentic self that he brought to the workplace every dayâ.
Announcing the very deserving winners for this yearâŠ
Weâre delighted to now announce that we have selected the winners of this yearâs Dave Rees Training Grant. A huge congratulations to Operations Manager, Phil Oddie and Regional Sales Manager, Scott Lewis!
Usually there is a single winner for the award, but we had difficulty in deciding between both of their applications, so we felt the need to support both deserving winners.
The winners were chosen because they have both aligned with a charitable organisation and have involved the aspect of training which will have a significant impact on their local communities and will create a legacy for years to come.
Philâs Story: Introducing Wrexham youth to cricket
We will be funding Phil Oddie plus one other with a ÂŁ300 grant to train to become a cricket coach. Phil is currently in his 20th season playing for Marchwiel & Wrexham Cricket Club. When he first joined the club, they had three senior teams, a midweek T20 team, and three youth teams (U11, U13 & U15). The youth system was vital for the club and even now, many of the senior squad came through their youth system.
COVID hit and youth cricket stopped. Philâs best friend Darren, who coached and managed 2 of their youth teams, sadly passed away with cancer. Until last year, the team had no youth coaches within the club and no youth setup. One member of the club recently qualified as a youth coach last year, and they successfully set an under 11âs team up. The club now need to build on this success for the coming seasons.
With this grant, Phil can now get fully qualified and accredited to start up an under-13s team to compete this summer in the Wrexham county and he will look into supporting ECB Allstars sessions this summer (5-8 year olds) and ECB Dynamos session (8-11 year olds). These sessions are a great and fun introduction to cricket. All of this growth will benefit kids around Wrexham, introducing them into sport, meeting new friends and having great fun whilst exercising.
Commenting on his award win, Phil states: âThank you to Tactical Solutions for their kind contribution towards ECB Coaching Courses for some of our senior players. By growing our qualified coaching team, we can continue to expand our youth department. Particular focus over this and next year will be to add more youth teams to different age group cricket leagues across the area. This in turn offers more opportunity to children to join a cricket club, learn a new sport, meet new friends and stay active. For any sporting club, the youth is key to the long-term future’.
Scottâs Story: Inspiring youths of South London with the practice of sport
The other worthy recipient of the grant is Scott Lewis who will receive a ÂŁ340 payment so that he can complete his football coaching badge to Level 2. With this grant, Scott and three others can also complete their First Aid and Safeguarding in sports qualifications.
Scottâs close friend currently runs a non-profit football club, Club Football Vale, which holds weekday evening training sessions where anyone is welcome. Scott frequently participates in these sessions with his son and finds it helpful in both improving his well-being and creating a continuous bond with his son.
The club was founded after COVID to help the youth of South London and surrounding areas to engage in the practice of sport, mainly through football, to improve their potential, improve their health well-being and support their mental health.
Since then, Club Football Vale has been run by volunteers. They currently have several teams from U18s to adult level. The club has made a real impact in the South London area establishing a large following of nearly 3,000 followers on social media.
The club are now looking to create a Women’s team next year and increase the number of participants they currently have. The grant, as well as the first aid training and safeguarding qualifications, will support the team with this.
Delighted about his award win, Scott comments: âI really appreciate the Dave Rees sponsorship and I think it will support the football club in so many ways. By upskilling myself and the other coaches, we will be able to deliver more structured sessions for all ages and hopefully increase the number of participants throughout the year. This will help the club’s goal to improve the participants’ mental health through the practice of football in the local communities in South Londonâ.
Once again, a huge congratulations to both of our winners! We canât wait to see what youâll both achieve in the coming months and are delighted to be a part of your incredible journey. Weâll be sharing updates throughout the year, so stay tuned for whatâs in store. Finally, let’s take this time to honour Dave and his legacy by investing into our communities and bettering ourselves everyday. Hereâs to you Dave!
