An outdoor activity provider for school day trips and youth group residential stays has received a £2,000 cash boost to support disabled people.
The Anderton Centre received the money from Freshies Awards 2022 - a not-for-profit awards celebration designed to inspire and bring together local businesses and the community.
The donation will be used to buy adapted stand-up paddle boards to enable disabled people to take part in the popular water sport at the Gold-status recognised Duke of Edinburgh Award location in Rivington.
Organised by Chorley-based recruitment firm, Fresh Perspective Resourcing, the not-for-profit annual awards saw three charities, including the Anderton Centre, come together on the night and raise £6,000 in total.
David Germain, chief executive at the Anderton Centre, said: “For various reasons, disabled people are much less likely to regularly take part in sport than non-disabled people which we are proud to be addressing here in what we offer.
“The North West of England has the second highest percentage of disabled people in the UK and without the provision of accessible water sports equipment, disabled people are generally denied experiences that able-bodied people take for granted and this is something we are passionate about changing.
“The adapted paddle boards will help users improve their health and well-being, broaden their horizons and make newfound friends with a shared passion.
“We are immensely grateful to Laura and Emily Leyland and the team behind The Freshies Awards for their generous donation which really will make such a difference to people and their families who use our centre.”
The brainchild of Fresh Perspective Resourcing founders, Laura and Emily Leyland, the Freshies Awards took place at The Tipi’s at Riley Green and crowned 13 winners in categories that reflect the energy, personality and inspirational work of local companies and their employees.
Entertaining more than 160 guests, the Freshies ceremony raised money for two other charities close to the heart of the Fresh Perspective team - Bolton Lads & Girls Club and Lagan’s Foundation.
They will also receive a £2,000 donation to support the positive work they do in the community.
Laura Leyland added: “We’re proud to support all our nominated charities and applaud them for the brilliant work they do.
“Thank you to everyone who entered and attended The Freshies and helped us make these charitable donations possible.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here