Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Wooden Spoon Society
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wooden Spoon Society is a major rugby union charity in the United Kingdom named after the Wooden Spoon award given by the Six (previously Five) nations championship.
The society raises funds for disadvantaged children and young people in the UK and Ireland. Today (2007) it is recognised as the official charity[1] of British and Irish rugby union[2]. It has a small central office, over 40 voluntary regional committees, 11,000 social members, and has distributed over £12m, primarily to capital projects to enhance the lives of socially, physically or mentally disadvantaged children and young persons.
Many of the projects are focused on enhancing facilities at Special Educational Need schools by provision of hydrotherapy pools, sensory rooms and playground equipment.
Contents |
The Society has funded many projects over the years. Some notable recent projects include:
- A £200,000 Wooden Spoon Disabled Sports Centre at the Percy Hedley Foundation[3].
- A £250,000 project to enhance the Chidren and Baby unit at the RNOH Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, Middlesex[4].
- Commitment to the UK DfES "Playing for Success" programme within the Tackle Learning project. This has seen ITC equipment installed in 5 rugby clubs to date - two rugby union,(Gloucester[5] and Worcester[6] ) and three rugby league (Wakefield Trinity Wildcats,[7] Hull Kingston Rovers[8] and Featherstone Rovers[9] )
A comprehensive list of funded projects is available here
The emphasis of the society is to have "fun while fundraising". The society organises many fund-raising events and Sporting Challenges both on a national and regional level. Members can be often spotted wearing their distinctive spoon ties or scarves at rugby union matches and other events.
Spoon has its own invitational rugby team, the SpoonAAs - formerly the Anti-Assassins [10] - who play matches and tournaments around the country and abroad in Spoon colours. In December 2006, the SpoonAAs were losing finalists [11] l in the Dubai International Veterans Tens Tournament, played alongside the IRB Dubai Sevens.
The idea for the Society occurred in 1983 by a group of English rugby union supporters while drinking in a Dublin bar and commiserating over England's award of the Wooden Spoon for that year. They were presented with a Wooden Spoon by their Irish compatriots to mark this historic occasion. On returning home the proposal to play golf for the spoon attracted the interest of fellow English supporters. 127 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. And so the charity was born.
Spoon was formally incorporated as a charity in 1984. [12].
Patron: Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal is patron of the society.[13].
Many former and current professional rugby players and management are Wooden Spoon members. Several are Regional Honorary Presidents including:
- Rob Andrew, OBE
- Martin Bayfield
- John Bentley
- Bill Beaumont, OBE
- Kyran Bracken MBE
- Gareth Chilcott
- Fran Cotton
- Lawrence Dallaglio, MBE
- Matt Dawson, MBE
- David Duckham, MBE
- Danny Grewcock MBE
- Dusty Hare
- Gavin Hastings OBE
- Richard Hill, MBE
- John Inverdale
- Alex King
- Dr Jack Kyle OBE
- Jason Leonard, OBE
- Willie John McBride, MBE
- Jeff Probyn
- Scott Quinnell
- Andy Robinson, OBE
- Graham Rowntree
- Pat Sanderson
- Matt Stevens
- Rory Underwood, MBE
- Peter Wheeler, OBE JP
- Sir Clive Woodward
- Joe Worsley, MBE
The Trustees are the voluntary persons responsible under the charity's governing document for controlling the management and administration of the charity.
The Life President, Peter Scott MBE, is one of the original founders. He was awarded the MBE for services to charity in 2002.[14]
Trustees are listed here and include:
Cecil Duckworth OBE, Chairman and backer of Worcester Rugby David Allen Fred Hucker
- ^ Extract from the Central Register of Charities. Charity Commission (November 23, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Rugby's Own Charity. Rugby Football Union (October 5, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Foundation stone laying. Northern Echo. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Children Unit RNOH. Harrow Times. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Playing for Success Centre. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Playing for Success Centre opens Jan07. Worcester_Rugby. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Playing for Success Centre. Department_for_Education_and_Skills. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Playing for Success Centre Opens. Hull Kingston Rovers. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Playing for Success Centre Opens. Wakefield Metropolitan District Council. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ "N/A", Halifax Today.
- ^ "Dubai Rugby Tournament 2006 International Vets results" (Excel spreadsheet), Dubai Sevens. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ About Spoon. woodenspoon.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ Titles of HRH Princess Anne. Burke's Peerage. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
- ^ "New Year Honours 2000", BBC, December 31, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.