In March, the Trust's Community Stadium Hub hosted a stand-up comedy night for participants from Comedy for Thought to mark the end of an 8-week course, which focuses on personal empowerment, listening, performance skills, and finding your unique comedic voice.

Providing a relaxed and trusted environment for participants to learn comedy whilst also expressing how they have been feeling, the course is supported and run in partnership with Dr Maria Kempinska, founder of Jongleurs Comedy Club.

Comedy for Thought is supported by the Premier League and Professional Footballer's Association. Administered through the Premier League Charitable Fund, the funding helps football clubs to tackle inequality and respond to local challenges, supporting people and their communities to be more inclusive.

Tackling the Stigma

Comedy for Thought is a testament to the Trust's commitment to tackling the stigma around mental health, and the showcase event in March was the third cohort to have completed the course.

Whilst it would have been easy for nerves to get the better of the participants, the room was filled with laughter and joy as each act took to the stage and completed their routine.

Dr Maria Kempinska said, "During the course we find out so much about each other, but also then the participants go on stage and their performance skills improve every week because it is made fun and entertaining.

"One of the key skills the participants learn is how to turn any tension, anxiety or depression into a story that can be entertaining for the audience and to then get feedback from those watching that you have value and can be funny."

Premier League and PFA Community Fund

This season, 24 professional football club community organisations across the Premier League and English Football League are delivering projects supported by the Premier league and PFA in their local communities.

Nationally, these funded projects have engaged more than 230,000 unique participants in more than 330,000 sessions across England and Wales. Projects are supported by current and former professional football players, and scholars, to enhance the impact on participants.

To find out more about the national fund, please visit premierleague.com.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Comedy for Thought, please contact health@brentfordfccst.com