A big boost was given to In Town Without My Car Day when local Premier League Football Club Aston Villa were delighted to give their support to back the campaign.
This is in direct contrast to the response from another local Premier League Football whose staff declined to provide any support whatsoever for the event.
AVFC’s Ravi Masih was happy to inform BFOE of the club’s involvement and was influential in drumming up support for In Town Without My Car Day at AVFC. While this is the first year the club is involved directly with In Town Without My Car Day, they are not new to staff sustainability efforts. The club have conducted several such ‘Transport Days’ where members of staff are given a raffle ticket for using sustainable means of transport or taking part in a car share if people do not have access to good transport links on the day. The raffle is then drawn to give out various prizes. This proves a great way to encourage people to leave their cars at home more regularly and do something positive for the environment throughout the year.
Villa Park benefits from having two train stations that are approximately a 10 minute walk from the stadium and bus stops that are also nearby, making it easily accessible by public transport. AVFC’s Corporate Social Responsibility report states that the club has a structured plan to reduce the number of cars coming into the stadium over the next five years on both match days and non match days. This is a positive move for the future.
Star player Marc Albrighton has also lent his support in an article on the official website. We hope that this will encourage many of the club’s fans to think about leaving their cars at home.
