The BBC, BBC CWR and Sky Blues in the Community joined forces to help children and families through the 'Kit Out The Nation' programme as part of the BBC’s 'Make A Difference' campaign.
The aim of the BBC 'Kit Out The Nation' ‘Make A Difference’ campaign was to take in and distribute any unwanted, good condition sports kit and equipment, that would otherwise go to landfill or simply remain in cupboards and be handed out to children who need it most. The campaign mirrored the ‘Give a Laptop’ movement which took place earlier this year throughout the COVID pandemic.
BBC CWR said: “We have had over 61,000 items donated with hundreds of companies and charities involved all working closely with local BBC radio stations across England, and BBC radio stations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
The issue around access to sport and exercise because of the affordability of kit is long known, and the situation has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic - so this was our chance to help to improve that across Coventry & Warwickshire.
With the help of the Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund and their generous donation of £4000, Sky Blues in the Community were able to purchase p.e. kit from Andy Blair Sports & Schoolwear of Coventry.
Founded in 2016, the Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund is a fundraising initiative in order to provide opportunities to improve the quality of life for those who need it most, in memory of the late Jimmy Hill OBE, who passed away on 19th December 2015.
Jimmy Hill’s success had a massive impact on the city of Coventry and the Legacy Fund will provide a fitting tribute in his memory, supporting a number of causes that were close to his heart and during the pandemic they changed their outlook to concentrate on helping to feed those who needed it most. Administered by Sky Blues in the Community and supported by Jimmy’s widow Bryony and Jimmy’s family.
On Monday 13th December the SBitC team set off to deliver these fantastic donation boxes to 12 selected Primary schools across Coventry & Warwickshire.
Alongside the donated p.e. kit delivery, SBitC also gifted each school an array of sports equipment, including: frisbees, tennis balls, bean bags, skipping ropes, plus much more!
Dave Busst, Head of Sky Blues in the Community, commented: “Our vision as an organisation is to ‘change lives in our community’ and when we heard about the BBC ‘Kit Out The Nation’ campaign then we knew this was something we wanted to be involved in. Every child deserves the chance to be active, enjoy and participate in their school p.e. lessons and we wanted to be a part of making that happen.”
If we all work together, we can help get the nation's young people more active.
If you have any questions or queries regarding any of the above, please get in touch via: sbitc@sbitc.org.uk or alternatively you can call our office on 02476 786 349.