Our very own Callum Oubridge had the surprise of a lifetime when West Ham star Jarrod Bowen announced the news to him at Queen’s Hospital that he is the club’s Community Captain for 2024.

Callum, who is an Education Centre Supervisor across our sites, was recognised as part of the Premier League’s ‘More than a game’ campaign, for setting up our Trust’s Men’s Health Network. The campaign has seen clubs across the footballing leagues name a Community Captain - somebody who deserves recognition for their commitment and contribution to the game and the local community.

The network aims to provide a safe environment for male colleagues to help improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

Being a life-long Hammers fan, Callum’s love for football inspired his vision for the network – getting male colleagues together to have fun, bring their guard down and get talking.

After dealing with his own struggles with mental health in the past, football and keeping active helped Callum, who has lived with a stammer for most of his life.

Since launching the network in December last year, he’s hosted two football sessions and more than 50 male colleagues have joined – it has continued to grow from strength to strength.

Callum said: “It was always an ambition of mine to create some sort of men’s network - I always thought there was a bit of a gap in the market, even from a young age. I brought it up with some senior members of staff, and after some good conversations it officially went live late last year, backed and recognised by the Trust.

“The whole idea is to create a positive and safe environment for men, based around regular, all-ability football sessions. The long-term aim is to get the majority of guys at our Trust to join so we are planning to move away from the footballing pitch and look at other ways of bringing people together.

“It’s great as more people continue to network, the more people are getting involved and we’re meeting colleagues that we normally wouldn’t have which is brilliant to see.

“The award is a lovely marker to show that we must be doing something right, and it also serves as a big motivation to keep going and make the Men’s Health Network as successful as possible.”

After starting out as an apprentice at the Trust when he was 19, Callum - now 25 - has continually demonstrated our Trust values and West Ham’s family values, swapping his suit for scrubs to help colleagues and patients at the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic, and more recently going above and beyond to tackle challenges surrounding men’s health.

Jarrod Bowen recognised the impact Callum’s work is having for men at our Trust. “Men’s health is a very important issue to tackle, and the steps that Callum has taken are unbelievable,” he said.

“His work fits into the messages we try to convey as a family club at West Ham, and I’m proud that he has been chosen for this award.

“It was a really special moment to open the door and see the look on his face when I surprised him. We had a good chat about football and men’s health, and it was good to get to know him and listen to his stories.

“Football is a really powerful tool to help people and communities from all walks of life, and when you hear stories like Callum’s you realise how crucial it is that the Premier League and its clubs continue all their hard work off the pitch as well as on it.

Following on from the surprise from Jarrod, the club invited Callum and his younger brother to the Premier League game at Brentford where he was officially unveiled pitch side alongside former West Ham United defender Anton Ferdinand.

Callum was also interviewed by BBC London Live (see below) and his video of meeting Jarod Bowen at Queen’s Hospital was shown on Sky Sports before the game.

It's not every day @_JarrodBowen wanders into your office...@NickGodwinsport caught up with @BHRUT_NHS's @CallumOubridge - @WestHam's 2024 Community Captain ⚒️

A special surprise for the Hammers fan who's doing extraordinary work in the community ❤️⤵️ #WHUFC

— BBC Sport London (@BBCLondonSport) February 26, 2024

He said: “It was a fantastic experience and I thank the club, Anton and all of the team for their hospitality – I’m still trying to process it all, it feels like one big dream.

“I’m excited to continue working with the Club and fulfilling my role as Community Captain.”