Whizz-Kidz receives in excess of £2.8m for its unique national children's network
Howard Lake | 10 November 2008 | News
Whizz-Kidz has been awarded more than £2.8 million in lottery funding to help support and develop its young Ambassador Network across England over the next five years.
The national mobility charity’s unique Network gives young wheelchair-users up to the age of 25 the opportunity to campaign locally and nationally on issues they feel strongly about, and promotes peer-to-peer learning and development. It also offers bespoke training and work-placements to empower disabled young people with the confidence and independence to prepare for further education and employment.
The grant has been provided as part of the Big Lottery Fund’s Young People’s Fund 2 (YPF2) National Grants programme. Whizz-Kidz competed for funding with 142 other organisations and the Ambassador Network was one of only 15 projects to be approved.
Graham Kelly, Director of Fundraising at Whizz-Kidz, said: “It was our commitment to empower young people and give them the tools they need to make a difference in their lives and in the lives of others that won through.
“The project built upon years of careful piloting and consultation and it is the result of the work of a great many people across the charity and of course the young people, our whizz kids, who told us what they needed and helped create a project to achieve their ambitions.”
The Ambassador Network is led by the Kidz Board, a group of 12 whizz kidz aged between 13 and 18 who represent the interests of the charity’s beneficiaries across the UK.
Jamie Green, 14, Chair of the Kidz Board, said: “I’m very pleased with the grant – it’s a really positive move. It will really help us develop the Ambassador Network which in turn will help young wheelchair users, and it will also mean Whizz-Kidz reaches out to more people.”
Sanjay Dighe, Big Lottery Fund England Chair, said: “YPF 2 National Grants give young people unique opportunities to be at the heart of planning and running projects that will benefit them.
“The Whizz-Kidz Ambassador Network will make a huge difference to children’s lives, giving them the skills and experience needed to access routes into employment. The project has the potential to benefit countless individuals and influence the thinking of policy-makers and service providers from across the country. BIG is delighted to be funding such a worthy venture.”
For more information about Whizz-Kidz, please visit www.whizz-kidz.org.uk
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For further information please contact Rob Dyson, PR Manager on 020 7798 6103 or r.*****@wh********.uk.
Notes to Editors
The total amount received from the Big Lottery Fund’s Young People’s Fund 2 (YPF2) National Grants programme is £2,893,086.
Whizz-Kidz has changed the lives of over 7,500 disabled children since 1990 – often literally overnight. The charity supports young people to access the right mobility equipment, including powered wheelchairs, at the right time. Whizz-Kidz also delivers wheelchair skills-training and other life-skills to help their transition from childhood to adulthood.
There are still over 70,000 children in the UK who need our support. Find out more and help move a life forward visit: www.whizz-kidz.org.uk
The right wheelchair and mobility equipment is not automatically provided on the NHS, and disabled young people have virtually no chance of getting a powered wheelchair. Whizz-Kidz aims to joint-fund mobility equipment where possible with local NHS services, and aims to ensure that much-needed improvements are made in delivering wheelchair services for children in the UK.
Rob Dyson
PR Manager
Whizz-Kidz
4th Floor | Elliot House |10-12 Allington Street |London SW1E 5EH
020 7798 6103 | www.whizz-kidz.org.uk
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.