Lords Taverners Present minibus to Hilton Foundation for fundraising success
Howard Lake | 12 December 2008 | News
The Lord’s Taverners presented one of its iconic minibuses to the ‘Hilton in the Community Foundation’ at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Friday 5 December, in recognition of funding raised at a charity ball on 18 October.
The Lord’s Taverners were represented by Clare Strange, GB wheelchair basketball player at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics and TV star Lorraine Chase.
Special guests and West End stars The Jersey Boys, who performed at the Ball, were present alongside Ian Carter, President Hilton Global Operations, Simon Vincent, Chairman of the Hilton Foundation’s Trustees and Area President of Hilton UK and Ireland, and Andreas Panayiotou, Chairman of The Ability Group, sponsors of this year’s ball.
The Lord’s Taverners, the youth sports charity, was the main beneficiary of the Hilton in the Community Foundation Ball, which raised over £360,000. The charity received almost £220,000 for its Disability Sports Appeal, a huge boost towards its goal of raising £1 million for disability sport in the build up to the 2012 Paralympics in London. The money will be used to buy specially-adapted sports wheelchairs for children with disabilities, as well as supporting the infrastructure and clubs to enable students to participate.
The Hilton in the Community Foundation will present the specially-adapted minibus to the Comberton Village College, Cambridge, in early 2009. The school welcomes all members of the community with special needs of any kind, and caters for all levels of ability. This minibus will provide Comberton Village College pupils with vital access to activities outside of the school grounds, including sports events, educational trips and
Dame Maureen Thomas, Hilton in the Community Foundation Trustee and Chair of the Ball Committee, said:
“We are thrilled to have raised a record amount at the most successful ball in the Foundation’s history. In the current financial climate it is more important than ever for us to support children’s charities in need of help. We were also delighted to have the Taverners Disability Sports Appeal as this year’s principal beneficiary; having enjoyed watching this year’s Paralympians in Beijing I hope that this fundraising will help to equip the next generation of athletes with the tools for success!”
Judith Chalmers OBE, Lady Taverners President Emeritus said:
“To have raised such a spectacular sum of money is wonderful and I’d like to thank everyone for their support on behalf of The Lord’s Taverners Disability Sports Appeal. This money raised for the junior wheelchair sports programmes we have put in place and for the provision of sports wheelchairs will really make a great difference to so many young people’s lives, and will enable children with disabilities to enjoy all the benefits which sport has to offer.”
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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.