STARS TURN OUT TO SUPPORT THE ACTIVATE SPORT FOUNDATION

Stars from across the world of sport and entertainment will turn out at The Co-operative Be Inspired Dinner this Friday (30th September) to support the Activate Sport Foundation.

Those in attendance at London’s iconic venue The Roundhouse, hosted by SKY Sports presenters Charlotte Jackson and Ed Chamberlin, will include cricket heroes Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, football legend Dion Dublin and rugby player Olly Barkley. Other well-known faces to lend their support will include The Only Way Is Essex stars Arg and Lydia Bright, DJ Spooney, Comedy Dave, Darren Campbell and Marcus Patrick.

Guests will be entertained throughout the evening with music from Starsailor’s James Walsh as well as Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann battling it out against each other in a series of head to head challenges.

Activate Sport is the leading provider of sports camps for children across the UK, including the specialist Academies of Andrew Flintoff, Matt Dawson, Lee Westwood, Shane Williams, Brendan Cole and Annabel Croft. The Foundation gives sporting opportunities to under-privileged children in communities nationwide, encouraging children to lead an active and healthy lifestyle through sport. The event will raise money for the Foundation which will see children directly benefit, with the charity pledging to reach over 20,000 children in 100 primary schools by the end of 2012, by delivering a specialist coaching programme using the sporting legends, and aiming to create a “sporting culture” in schools.

Lee Westwood, who set up the Lee Westwood Golf Academy with Activate Sport four years ago and is also a Patron of the Foundation, will see many children get the opportunity to experience his Academy through the Activate Sport Foundation. “The Foundation is a great initiative by Activate Sport, and I’m pleased that my Academy is giving many more children the chance to play golf. I’m passionate about seeing as many young people active and outside as possible, and through my Academy and the Activate Sport Foundation we will be working closely to take golf into schools across the UK, in a task to opening up the game to everyone.”

Luke Sutton, Director of Activate Sport, said, “The Activate Sport Foundation represents a core belief that all children should have access to sporting opportunities. The pledge that the Activate Sport Foundation and The Co-operative have committed to in 2012 is exciting and we‟re looking forward to going into schools and making this happen. By educating teachers and parents, we hope we can help to create a culture of sport and participation in each school we visit. With the money raised through the Foundation, we believe we can make a difference to schools and communities by providing children in the UK with a sporting opportunity regardless of age, ability and social background.”

Liz Matkin, The Co-operative’s Head of Sponsorship, said, “The Co-operative has partnered with Activate Sport for three years and during this time has given away thousands of places to the camps to children in communities across the UK. This year we worked closely with the Activate Sport Foundation to identify children to attend the camps through the money raised from last year’s Foundation dinner. We’re looking forward to continuing our work with the Foundation, providing many more opportunities to young people.”

For further information go to www.activatesport.co.uk/foundation.

-ENDS-

For further information:

Maryann Stevens/ Penny Maltby

0845 241 8111

ms@generatesponsorship.com/ pm@generatesponsorship.com