Health and Wellbeing

Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA)

Join Wooden Spoon and the RDA charity initiative to support children and young people with disabilities across the UK and Ireland. RDA is experiencing a growing demand for services amongst older children and needs to increase the number of bigger horses at its centres.

Wooden Spoon have funded in excess of 40 RDA-associated projects across the UK and Ireland, pledging more than £500,000.

 

Sports and Activity Aids

These projects could be anything from fitness suites to multi-use games areas to hydrotherapy pools. The broad range of sports aid projects aim to target children and young people with disabilities and engage them in sport. People with disabilities are twice as likely to be physically inactive (43 per cent) than non-disabled people (21 per cent).

Hydrotherapy pools are one way to engage children with disabilities in sport as some may learn how to swim and gain confidence in the pool. However for others, it is a moment to feel freedom of movement that may not always be possible outside of the pool.

Newlands School were given a grant from Wooden Spoon Manchester and Cheshire to build a hydrotherapy pool with sensory equipment including lighting and a surround sound system.

Watch the video below.

Tag Rugby

We have supported a variety of tag rugby festivals across the UK and Ireland, to help improve inclusivity for children with disabilities in sport. One example, is Ballyclare RFC’s Clare Hares international tag festival which was attended by over 900 people in 2019.

Clifford Gilmore, from Clare Hares (the disability section of Ballyclare RFC) and a member of the organising committee, said: “Planning for the event is almost completed. We would like to thank Wooden Spoon Ulster, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and all the local businesses for their sponsorship. Without their financial support it would have been very difficult for the club to host such a major event.”

Wheelchair Rugby

We have helped teams such as Solent Sharks, in continuing their love for the sport through funding. In the UK, there are around 13.3 million disabled people and 800,000 are children under the age of 16. The high costs are a major barrier for parents their children to participate in disabled sports like wheelchair rugby.

Wheelchair rugby improves player’s strength, fitness, balance and general wellbeing. But not only that, it helps drive ambition and enables players to get the best out of themselves opening up doors they never thought possible.

This is Charlie’s story