The Duke of Edinburgh has taken on a role as a patron of Lord’s Taverners, the cricketing charity celebrating its 75th anniversary.
The Duke’s patronage will continue a long line of Royal support for the charity, following on from his father Prince Philip, The late Duke of Edinburgh, who became founding patron and 12th man in 1950 – a role he held for 71 years.
Lord’s Taverners is set to stage a series of events across the country over the rest of the year to celebrate its landmark milestone.
The Duke is following in the footsteps of his brother King Charles III, who has also been a President of the Taverners, in supporting the charity that uses cricket to empower and positively impact the lives of disadvantaged and disabled young people facing the challenges of inequality.
“As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, this is fantastic news for our members, supporters and everyone connected with the Taverners and we are hugely grateful to The Duke of Edinburgh for his support and appreciation for our work across the country,” explained Lord’s Taverners President David Gower.
“We are really looking forward to working with The Duke to help showcase the life-changing impact our work has on thousands of young people across the country.
“Our vision is that every young person can overcome the challenges of inequality and achieve their potential and The Duke’s support will be invaluable in helping us make this a reality.”
The Lord’s Taverners works across the UK to provide inclusive and impactful cricket programmes, empowering young people with disabilities and from disadvantaged communities to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence required to overcome the challenges of inequality, raise their aspirations and reach their potential.
The charity’s Youth Ambassadors also welcomed the news of the new Royal Patron to help highlight the Taverners inclusive cricket programmes, which last year impacted the lives of nearly 30,000 young people.
Youth Ambassador Jessica Williams, who has been attending Super 1s Disability Cricket programme for over five years and now also plays in Super 9s (cricket's disability development pathway), said: "Attending Lord's Taverners programmes had a life-changing impact on me.
“Not only have I been able to play cricket and make new friends, I have also been able to help with umpiring and scoring, helping with my confidence and communication.
“The support of The Duke of Edinburgh as our new patron will allow us to tell even more people about what we do and our work as Youth Ambassadors to ensure even more young people can benefit from the work of the charity.”
Lord’s Taverners worked with a record 28,669 young people across inclusive cricket programmes last year. To learn more about the impact of the charity’s work, visit www.lordstaverners.org
