Lord's Taverners

The Lord’s Taverners (registered charity no. 306054) is a thriving club, the official charity for recreational cricket and the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity whose objective is to 'give young people, particularly those with special needs, a sporting chance'.^{[citation needed]}

The Lord’s Taverners was founded in 1950 by a group of actors, led by Martin Boddey, who used to enjoy a pint watching cricket from the Tavern pub at Lord's Cricket Ground.

In the early days, money raised each year was given to the National Playing Fields Association on the recommendation of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron and 'Twelfth Man' of The Lord’s Taverners.

The charity presently donates nearly £3 million each year to help young people of all abilities and backgrounds participate in sporting activities by channelling funding into specific schemes:

Encouraging participation in youth cricket, particularly in disadvantaged areas

• Management and support of inner city and other youth cricket competitions and programmes
• Funding to re-establish cricket in state schools
• Grants towards non-turf pitches to increase the opportunities for young people to play
• Donating hundreds of cricket equipment bags to clubs and school teams across the UK

Supporting sporting and recreational activities for youngsters with special needs

• Donating specially adapted minibuses and sports wheelchairs, giving young people vital transportation and access to sport and recreation
• Creating new pathways for participation, development and competition in sport
• Providing grants for play, sports and sensory equipment

Fifty per cent of the funds awarded go to cricket projects - equipment and competitions for those young people playing the game at grass roots level in schools and clubs. The other half is awarded to special needs schools or organisations, supporting their work to encourage youngsters to participate in recreational activities and a wide range of disabled sports. The Lord’s Taverners supplies specially adapted minibuses at a rate of almost one every 10 days.^{[citation needed]} It is also one of the leading funders of sports wheelchairs. It is a member of Capital Kids' Cricket, an initiative to promote the game in schools in London.

The Lord’s Taverners has raised and distributed over £30m to schools, clubs and special needs organisations in the UK in the last decade.^{[citation needed]} The Lord’s Taverners benefits from the fundraising activities of The Lady Taverners, Young Lord’s Taverners, Regional Committees and its 5,000 Members, many of them drawn from the world of sport and entertainment. The list includes Mike Gatting, Alastair Cook, Chris Tarrant, Andrew Flintoff, Bill Tidy, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Rachael Heyhoe Flint, James Haskell and Colin Salmon.

The Lord's Taverners Past Presidents

• Sir John Mills (1950–1951)
• John Snagge (1952)
• Martin Boddey (1953)
• Jack Hawkins (1954)
• Major A Huskisson (1955)
• Tommy Trinder (1956)
• Stephen Mitchell (1957)
• Sir John Barbirolli (1958)
• Sir Ian Jacob (1959)
• The Duke of Edinburgh (1960–1961)
• Sir Robert Menzies (1962)
• Richard Hearne (1963)
• John Snagge (1964)
• Sir Edward Lewis (1965)
• Ronnie Waldman (1966)
• Sir Harry Secombe (1967–1968)
• Lord Luke of Pavenham (1969)
• Brian Rix (1970)
• Martin Boddey (1971)
• Victor Silvester (1972)
• Jimmy Edwards (1973)
• Alf Gover (1974)
• The Prince of Wales (1975–1976)
• Eric Morecambe (1977–1978)
• Sir Jimmy Savile (1979)
• Sir Harry Secombe (1980–1981)
• Ronnie Corbett (1982)
• Sir Terry Wogan (1983–1984)
• Sir David Frost (1985–1986)
• Ronnie Corbett (1987)
• Tim Rice (1988–1990)
• Leslie Crowther (1991–1992)
• HRH The Prince Edward (1993–1994)
• Colin Cowdrey (1995–1997)
• Nicholas Parsons (1998–1999)
• Tim Rice (2000)
• Robert Powell (2001–2002)
• Richard Stilgoe (2003–2004)
• Mike Gatting (2005–2007)
• Bill Tidy (2007–2009)
• Chris Tarrant (2009–present)

In 2007 Sir Bobby Robson was to have succeeded Mike Gatting as President, although was unable to do so due to his ill-health. The charity later praised Robson posthumously with a March 2010 formal dinner in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, in honour of the "The best President we never had".

The Lord's Taverners Past Chairmen

• Martin Boddey (1950–1952)
• Michael Shepley (1953)
• Stephen Mitchell (1954)
• John Glyn-Jones (1955)
• John Snagge (1956)
• Jack Payne (1958–1959)
• Ronnie Waldman (1959)
• John Snagge (1960–1961)
• Leslie Frewin (1962)
• Roy Rich (1963–1964)
• A C L Bennett (1965–1966)
• Ronnie Waldman (1967)
• Jack Rayfield (1968–1969)
• Ian Carmichael (1970–1971)
• Mark Motho (1972–1973)
• Peter Palmer (1974–1975)
• John Josling (1976–1977)
• Chris Howland (1978–1979)
• Neil Durden-Smith (1980–1981)
• David Evans (1982–1983)
• John Bromley (1984–1985)
• Mervyn Grubb (1986–1987)
• Robin Moors (1988–1989)
• Derek Ufton (1990–1991)
• Brian Baldock (1992–1994)
• Ken Lawrence (1995–1996)
• John Bromley (1997–1999)
• Roger Smith (2000–2001)
• John Ayling (2002–2003)
• Richard Groom (2004–2006)
• Jonathan Rice (2006–2008)
• John Hooper (2008–2010)
• John Ayling (2010–present)

The Young Lord's Taverners Past Presidents

• Will Carling (1991–1996)
• Mark Ramprakash (1997–2003)
• Andrew Flintoff (2004–2008)
• Alistair Cook (2008–present)

The Young Lord's Taverners Past Chairmen

• Tim Howland (1988–1990)
• Roberta Moore (1991–1994)
• Martyn Smith (1995–1996)
• Johnathan Lambert (1997–1999)
• Patrick Smith and Jane White (2000)
• Patrick Smith (2001–2003)
• Robin James and Neil Hunt (2003–2006)
• Peter Mayo and Simon Cleobury (2006–2008)
• Huw Learner and Simon Cleobury (2008–2009)
• Simon Cleobury (2009–present)

The Lady Taverners

The Lady Taverners is the ladies' branch of the club. It was established to maintain the tradition of granting honorary membership to the sitting Prime Minister; Margaret Thatcher had been elected premier in 1979 and the Lady Taverners were duly formed, with Baroness Thatcher as its first honorary member.^{[citation needed]}

The Lady Taverners President

• Rachael Heyhoe Flint (2001–present)

The Lady Taverners Past Chairmen

• Anne Subba Row (1985–1986)
• Diana Thomas (1987–1988)
• Maria Moult (1989–1990)
• Wendy Caller (1991–1992)
• Laura Collins (1993–1994)
• Lesley Balls (1995–1996)
• Chrissie Colbeck (acting) (1997–1998)
• Jean Ratcliff (1998–2000)
• Judy Haggas (2000–2002)
• Dulcie Quinnell (2003–2004)
• Annie Peacock (2004–2005)
• Maggie Smith (2006–2008)
• Denise Horne (2008–2010)
• Sally Surridge (2010–present)

External links

• Official website
• Lord's Taverners, Registered Charity no. 306054 at the Charity Commission