Local charity Sporting Challenge have benefited from funding from Cllr Mark Perks, the County Council Champion for Youth, receiving £1,000 as part of this Programme in December.

Sporting Challenge is a family led charity started in 2008 operating in West Lancashire supporting people with learning disabilities, where all members of the Board of Trustees are parents and carers themselves.

The charity is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and aims to provide sporting activities to encourage people with learning disabilities to keep fit and healthy. It organises activities that our members feel are most beneficial to them in improving their health, fitness, well-being and enjoyment of physical activity and those which they are most likely to continue with. These include aerobics, bowling, boccia, kurling, zumba/dance, swimming and other fitness activities.

It currently supports around 46 people in the West Lancashire area to access a variety of activities by providing transport to and from their homes and the appropriate sessional workers to support them whilst carrying out the activities. This number is set to grow over the years to come, and around a third of its members are aged 16-22.

Activities co-ordinator Edward McCarthy told QLocal yesterday: “We are working with Lancashire County Council and its Transition Social Workers to provide support/ sessions for adults transition aged (16-22) this can be a difficult time for the adults and their families.

"There is a lot of change and they can easily move from school/ college and not keep their friendships. There are potentially more members in need of us in this age range.

"I would like to thank Cllr Perks for this funding award which will make a huge difference.”

For more details visit http://www.sporting-challenge.org.uk or call 07971 299606.