- Four Leeds-based projects supporting people with dementia and Parkinson’s Disease will continue after a £25,000 funding lifeline from Sky Betting & Gaming owner Flutter.
- Community sports programs will allow 145 individuals to continue to access services.
Flutter, the world's leading online sports betting and iGaming operator and owner of Sky Betting and Gaming, is donating a £25,000 lifeline to Leeds Rhinos Foundation to save vital community sports programs for people with dementia and Parkinson’s.
The funding was announced as Flutter employees took part in a special volunteer day at AMT Headingley Stadium, where they met with many of the people who will continue to benefit from four key pilot projects that faced immediate closure.
They include:
- A 12 week ‘Motivate’ program endorsed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals' Rheumatology Department to support and educate people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
- A year-long weekly physical activity program for people living with Parkinson’s Disease to improve and maintain physical activity levels.
- Monthly ‘In Touch’ dementia support group sessions attended by over 50 people living with dementia alongside their families.
- Support for weekly ‘Reminiscence Café’ gatherings as part of their dementia services.
The Leeds Rhinos Foundation was set up 20 years ago with a vision to change lives through the power of sport.
Dan Busfield from Leeds Rhinos Foundation explained the significant impact the five-figure donation from Flutter will have securing the immediate future of those programs in their local community.
“Without this funding from Flutter, four of our key pilot programs – which support people tackling conditions including dementia and Parkinson's – faced immediate closure.
“This support means vital programs like these can now continue to make a difference in the lives of local people who engage with them.”
While attending a volunteer day at the foundation with several Flutter colleagues, Steve Birch, Chief Commercial Officer of Sky Bet, said: “This charity partnership presented itself as a brilliant opportunity to further support both sport and charity in the communities where we operate.”
“It’s been a privilege to join my colleagues to volunteer today and see first-hand how the 12 week ‘Motivate’ program will help people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis, to understand why their adult physical activity program will continue to change the lives of people living with Parkinson’s and to recognise the lifeline their monthly ‘In Touch’ sessions and weekly support groups run at their ‘Reminiscence Café’ has on those with dementia and their wider families.”
Flutter’s support for charities like Leeds Rhino’s Foundation forms part of Flutter’s larger global pledge to ‘Do More’ for its communities as part of its Positive Impact Plan.
The goal of ‘Do More’ is to improve the lives of 10 million people by 2030, which is made possible by the Flutter Edge and the collective passion of its colleagues.
Last month, Flutter announced 200 community and grassroots sports organisations would share £400, 000 under its ‘Cash4Clubs’ programme to help drive participation in sport across the UK and Ireland.
Sixteen clubs in the Yorkshire region were among the 200 clubs to receive grants of £2,000, including Scarboccia, who facilitate the sport of Boccia in Scarborough, Malton and the Yorkshire Coast.
For more information, please contact corporatemedia@flutter.com.
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