Sports Kit Donation Day Visits Croydon School

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Audio Archive - Andrew Glatten and Amy Turner (mp3)

Audio Archive - Matthew Patten (mp3)

Pupils from the Addington School in Croydon were presented with rugby and cricket kit from Women’s Rugby World Cup  finalist, Amy Turner, this Thursday as LV= SOS Kit Aid hosts its first ever UK donation day.

The award-winning nationwide LV= SOS Kit Aid initiative - supported by youth sports charity The Lord’s Taverners – is campaigning to collect and redistribute 20,000kgs of rugby and cricket kit by the end of 2011. The charity has already run several hugely successful collection days, including recent support from Middlesex CCC at Lord’s Cricket Ground in June, and is now beginning to distribute the collected kit.

Addington School’s pupils have limited access to sport due to a lack of equipment funding. Thanks to LV= SOS Kit Aid this is set to change, with England women’s rugby player Amy Turner coming to present 30 full sets of rugby kit and 15 full sets of cricket kit to the pupils this Thursday.

The action-packed day saw local LV= employees from Croydon join the ranks as 50 pupils aged 11-14 years old participate in rugby and cricket coaching sessions hosted by LV= SOS Kit Aid which will provide first-hand experience of the benefits and skills associated with sport including teamwork, discipline and the health benefits of exercise.

Commenting on the programme, Amy Turner, said, “Sport can have such a positive impact on young people, providing physical health benefits as well as teaching vital life skills like teamwork and respect. It is a sad fact that hundreds of thousands of youngsters across the UK don’t get the chance to play sport due to a lack of kit so it’s amazing to see a scheme like LV= SOS Kit Aid trying to tackle this problem.”

Andrew Glatter, LV= Head of Social Responsibility, said: “We are really pleased that the collection days have been so successful and that we can now begin to distribute the kit to those who need it. Thursday is a very special day for the scheme as until now collected kit has always been distributed overseas. We are delighted to be able to help a local school with the first donation of the year and look forward to a fun-packed day with the pupils and women’s rugby star, Amy Turner.”

LV= SOS Kit Aid, in partnership with The Lord’s Taverners, provides disadvantaged young people in the UK and overseas with recycled rugby and cricket kit. The campaign has the backing of celebrity ambassadors including former England cricket captains Mike Gatting and Allan Lamb, England rugby star James Haskell and England and Bath rugby heroes Gareth Chilcott and Matt Perry.