Less than a year after its formation Blackburn Rovers Community Trust proudly accepted the Community Club of the Year ‘Highly Commended' acolade at the star-studded inaugural North West Football Awards (NWFA) in Manchester earlier this week.

Football heroes from across the country attended the exclusive event, which, as well as recognising football heroes past and present from North West Clubs across the leagues, also recognised the people behind the scenes and the clubs' commitment to their local areas through delivery of positive community messages using the power of football.

Judge, Gordon Taylor said: "It was great to see the North West's footballing community come out in force to celebrate the region's success both on the pitch and behind the scenes, as well as raising a huge amount of money for a fantastic local charity".

Gill Kinloch, Head of Community Affairs and a Director of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust said "For the Trust to receive this award in such a short space of time really is a fantastic achievement. The range of health, education and social inclusion programmes delivered in the name of Blackburn Rovers continues to grow and for the quality of our delivery to be recognised and acknowledged in this way is true testament to the committed effort of all members of staff."