Wooden Spoon attend KatieFest 2026
The power of the rugby family was on full display in Oxfordshire as Wooden Spoon joined players, coaches, and families for KatieFest – an inspiring annual tag rugby and sports festival celebrating inclusive sport for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Named in memory of Kate Peel, a founding member of the Wallingford Wolves SEN tag rugby team, KatieFest was created to ensure that every young person, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, gets the chance to participate, learn new skills, and make lifelong friends on the pitch.
To support the day’s activities and ensure the young athletes had everything they needed to get stuck in, Wooden Spoon was proud to attend and provide extra kit for the event.
The atmosphere throughout the day was nothing short of electric, with an incredible turnout of players, families, and supporters coming together to celebrate inclusive sport. Among the massive crowd of attendees was a travelling team all the way from Italy, proving that the passion for inclusive rugby knows no borders! Fields were filled with the sounds of laughter and cheering as children of all abilities got stuck into tag games, embraced the true spirit of teamwork, and simply had fun on the pitch. It was a wonderful showcase of what rugby is all about, bringing people together, making everyone feel included, and giving every young person the platform to shine.
Connected Through the Power of Tag Rugby
The spirit of KatieFest closely mirrors our own work across the UK. Wooden Spoon is dedicated to changing the lives of children and young people with disabilities or facing disadvantage through the power of rugby.
This connection was highlighted at our national Wooden Spoon TagFest 2026, which brought together more than 400 young people from across the country to celebrate inclusive tag rugby. Teams like the Oxfordshire Wolves, who represent the incredible inclusive rugby community nurtured by events like KatieFest, took to the pitch at TagFest to showcase their talent, teamwork, and passion for the game.
Giving Children the Chance to Play, Learn, Thrive, and Be Safe
Whether on the pitch at KatieFest or at national flagship events like TagFest, Wooden Spoon remains committed to harnessing the power of rugby to create safe, welcoming, and empowering environments.
By funding specialist sports equipment, sensory rooms, playgrounds, and inclusive sports programmes, we exist to give children and young people with disabilities or facing disadvantage the chance to play, learn, thrive, and be safe.
A huge thank you to the brilliant organisers, volunteers, and teams at KatieFest for running such an inspiring day. Together, we are showing that rugby truly is a game for everyone!
To learn more about how Wooden Spoon supports inclusive rugby initiatives across the UK, visit woodenspoon.org.uk or read more about TagFest 2026 here.
