AN EX-FOOTBALLER who spoke out about child sex abuse in the sport was in attendance at an event held to raise awareness of signs of such abuse.

Andy Woodward, who waived his anonymity last year to highlight the abuse he received in his time as a young footballer, spoke at an event in Basingstoke last week organised by Enough Abuse UK (EA UK) and the Hampshire Fostering Network.

The event, held at the Red Lion Hotel on Thursday, June 15, was designed to help foster carers learn skills which would help them identify when children in their care and others were being sexually abused or the behaviours of those who may become abusers.

The course was being delivered by the founder and chief executive officer of EA UK, Marilyn Hawes, who successfully managed to get a paedophile convicted in 2003 after he sexually abused her three sons. He was sentenced to 15 months in jail, after originally being given a community rehabilitation order.

As a result, she is now dedicated to making sure that others are not being subjected to the same experiences she and her family went through.

Speaking to The Gazette, Mr Woodward talked about his role with EA UK as director of sport, following his experiences.

He said: “Back in November 2016, I waived my anonymity and spoke out about my experiences in the fact that I had been sexually abused by my football coach when I was younger.

“After that, there were around 1,500 referrals that meant that people started getting help.

“I think that a lot of people only associate grooming with those that are abused, but adults can be groomed as well. The abusers can gain the trust of the adults in order to get to the vulnerable.

“We’ve been working together since Marilyn got in contact with me to create a positive change, and while we cannot prevent 100 per cent of cases, preventing more cases taking place surely makes the world a better place.”

Mrs Hawes added: “It’s really become my life. I want to raise awareness of the behaviours that people should look out for in those who are at risk and those who are at risk of abusing others.

“We try to drill down into the issues and get the people who need therapy as quickly into it as possible.

“It’s a global problem, and people are starting to come forward about the issue and that’s what we need to happen in order to improve the care available.”

The mayor and mayoress of Basingstoke and Deane, cllrs Paul and Jane Frankum, came to the event to show their support.

For more information about EA UK, go to enoughabuseuk.com.

Concerns or suspicions about child abuse can be reported to the NSPCC 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information, go to nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/ report-abuse.