The Red Archive CIC

During the financial year The RED Archive continued to develop its programme of community-focused heritage activity, using football supporter culture as a tool to reduce isolation, improve wellbeing and bring people together across different communities. In April 2024 we continued our conversations with LFC Foundation regarding a Premier League funded ‘Fan Fund’ which aimed to support projects that foster community cohesion and understanding. From this we successfully co-created Welcome REDS, a programme of inclusive engagement sessions held at Anfield. The Welcome REDS sessions launched in July 2024. Originally delivered fortnightly and later adapted to monthly sessions, each two-hour event is attended by up to 120 local supporters. Regular participants include residents from a local care home for people living with dementia, Daisy Inclusive UK (a disability-focused charity) and the Merseyside Society for Deaf People (MSDP). Each session includes a Q&A with a former football legend, followed by a range of creative and social activities such as quizzes, arts sessions and singalongs. All sessions are BSL interpreted and we ensure the events are accessible to all participants, creating a genuinely inclusive and welcoming environment. In August 2024 The RED Archive delivered additional community activity in partnership with LFC Foundation, running sessions at a number of their events including their Community Day, a session at ASCC and two sessions at Sean’s Place, a community space supporting men’s mental health. These sessions used archive material and creative activities to encourage conversation, reflection and connection. In November 2024 Emma was invited to be a guest speaker at Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery in Carlisle as part of their exhibition Backing the Blues: 120 Years of Carlisle United. She shared our approach to using archive material as a tool for meaningful community engagement. The curatorial team reported that the presentation directly influenced how they plan to embed community-led activity within their own heritage projects going forward. At the beginning of 2025 we began preparations for potential end-of-season celebrations and entered into collaborations with a number of local fan organisations including BOSS Nights, The Anfield Wrap and Redmen TV. We made plans to bring the RED Caravan to The Red Weekender, a large-scale fan festival at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool scheduled for May 2025. The final months of the financial year were spent preparing and developing the RED Caravan to ensure it was ready to support this significant community event. Across the year our work has focused on creating accessible, inclusive and supportive spaces for supporters of all ages and abilities, tackling social isolation, sharing lived experiences and ensuring Liverpool FC fan culture continues to be preserved and celebrated within the community.