More than one million ‘sporting chances’ were created by the Lord’s Taverners in 2016 – and millions more will be created by the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity as part of ambitious expansion plans over the next three years.
As announced in its annual Impact Report, last year the Lord’s Taverners invested a record £3.4million in its disability and sports programmes as well as grants for specialist facilities, transport, equipment and resources.
Over the next three years, the charity has committed to:
- Expand its Wicketz programme from three to 11 areas of the UK in areas of greatest need.
- Grow the sport of table cricket and expand this programme from 100 to 300 participating schools while developing 60 young leaders.
- Develop the Disability Cricket Champions to ensure all 32 London boroughs participate and expand the programme to a further eight locations outside of the Capital.
- Deliver 120 new specially adapted minibuses.
- Provide 300 sports wheelchairs and support the junior development of three wheelchair sports.
- Maintain a consistent programme of providing disability play equipment to those schools and organisations in the areas of greatest need.
Lord’s Taverners CEO, Paul Robin, said: “Our annual Impact Report highlights both the achievements and ambition of the Lord’s Taverners to continue to be the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity. We are committed to making significant expansion across our core cricket and disability programmes that enhance the lives of some of the most marginalised and at risk young people in the country. It’s an exciting time for the charity as we reach out to thousands more disadvantaged and disabled young people to give them a sporting chance.”
The latest Impact Report highlights that in the past 12 months, the charity impacted the lives of nearly 70,000 young people across it programmes which included: presenting 40 minibuses in the 40th anniversary of the programme; delivering 2,152 disability cricket sessions to nearly 50,000 young people; installing 30 sensory rooms and outdoor play spaces for those with special educational needs while also providing 77 multi-sports wheelchairs to clubs and individuals around the country.
“We created more than one million sporting chances last year and that is a number of which everyone connected to the charity can be very proud,” added Robin. “But with 900,000 disabled children in the UK and 3.7million living in poverty, there is still so much to do and the plans to expand our programmes reflect this.
None of this would be possible without the fantastic ongoing support of our members, volunteers, fundraisers, donors and partners who ensure that we continue to reach out to as many disadvantaged and disabled young people throughout the UK as possible.”
More:
Able Magazine is proud to be disability media partner with the Lord’s Taverners.
