About Wooden Spoon

http://www.woodenspoon.com/

Wooden Spoon is rugby's charity supporting mentally, physically and socially disadvantaged children and young people. Spoon has committed to over £12 million in spending for projects for children and young people. It has organised over 1,500 events and had 20,000 ties worn by its loyal members and supporters. Hardworking staff and volunteers have achieved all of this since the birth of the charity.

It all began on a fateful day in Dublin in 1983 when England’s Five Nations season ended in disaster with defeat by Ireland leaving them languishing at the bottom of the table.

A group of English supporters were presented with a Wooden Spoon by their Irish opponents to mark this historic occasion. On returning home the proposal to play golf for the spoon attracted the interest of fellow English supporters. Over 100 people attended that golf day at Farnham and by the end of the evening £8450 had been raised. The funds were cashed in for a minibus purchased for the Park Special Needs School in Aylesbury. The charity was born...

Over time the number and variety of events increased as have the number of supporters and participants. Spoon now has patronage from the four rugby home unions and royal patronage from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.

Today there are 40 regional committees including three national committees, Scotland, Wales and Ireland with more than 10,000 members. It has become a national charity but one working very much at a local level. All funds raised locally are spent locally with national fund raising supporting these funds £1 for £1.

Spoon’s strength and purpose, however, have been to convert the funds derived from our fundraising activities to benefit socially, mentally or physically disadvantaged children and young people.

We support work that addresses a wide range of social problems as well as physical illnesses and disabilities ranging from cancer, cystic fibrosis and autism. Spoon has a positive impact on disability in all its forms and comforts the sick and needy whenever we have been able to do so.

We meet challenges with good humour and much enjoyment. We create events and activities that make demands on both our sporting and social prowess. We are driven by a collective ambition to see Wooden Spoon continue to grow in stature and thereby continue to have a positive impact on disadvantaged children and young people throughout the United Kingdom.

Since 2004, Spoon has consistently raised over £1m each year for distribution to local and national projects. With each passing year we want to continue to raise the bar higher and help more children with physical, mental and social challenges.