Northampton Saints have announced the official launch of the Northampton Saints Foundation, which sets out to improve the lives of thousands of people within the local community.
Supporting young people in particular has been an important pillar of the Club since Northampton RFC was founded out of Reverend Samuel Wathen Wigg’s ‘boys improvement class’ in 1880.
The Foundation will aim to use the Club’s values and the power of sport to educate, inspire and support young people, and work with the Saints family to showcase the club’s values and heritage to drive positive change in communities across Northamptonshire and beyond.
Earning full charitable status earlier this year, the Foundation has already been building momentum with organisations like Portman Asset Finance, Boost Trampoline Parks and RedHatPhoto.com lending their support.
The first bucket shakes of the 2018/19 season at Franklin’s Gardens will be held in aid of the Foundation when Saints welcome Harlequins on Friday 7th September, and the Club’s head of foundation Matt Goode is urging as many Northampton supporters as possible to play their part.
Matt Goode said: “Right from the very beginning, Northampton Saints has always been focused on helping our local community.
“I’m delighted we now have this new platform which should enable us to do that better than we ever have done before as a Club.
“By bringing all of our programmes together under one roof, we are now able to reach more young people that are in need than ever before, and work harder than ever to boost their motivation, self-esteem and learning opportunities.
“I must thank our new trustees for their support so far within this process, as well as our partners Portman Asset Finance, Boost Trampoline Parks and RedHatPhoto who have backed us from the very start.
“We’ll be out in force at next Friday’s match, not only fundraising but also offering more information about what the new Foundation’s all about. If you’d like to learn more or get involved yourself, please come and find us in the Fan Village next to the marquee.”
The Foundation has been founded out of five different programmes – Saints Study Centre, Engage, Engage+, Aspire, and HITZ – and after already helping over 5,000 students across Northamptonshire each year, their combined success brought about the formalisation of the charity.
Goode’s team boasts five members of permanent staff as well as six trustees, and will have charity-of-the-match status at several Saints home fixtures this season. Several fundraising events are also planned for the coming months, including a sponsored ‘Gardens to Gate’ bike ride when Saints travel to Bristol in the Gallagher Premiership later this month.
Source & Image : www.northamptonsaints.co.uk
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