Oaks work with the William Penny Brookes Charity

Why the charity exists?

In 1809 William Penny Brookes (WPB) was born in the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock. Brookes believed that sport and physical activity not only improved the health of young people but that it could also be used to galvanise and inspire local communities. With this in mind he delivered the first Olympian Games in 1850 in Much Wenlock.

Over the next 40 years Brookes not only continued to deliver the games in Much Wenlock but also developed the concept in other areas of the UK. In 1890 through the inspiration and information that Brookes provided he helped in the delivery of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Since his death in 1896, the town of Much Wenlock has maintained and successfully developed his legacy.

At 12.49pm on July 6th 2005, Jacques Rogge, the head of the International Olympic Committee announced that London had won the right to stage the 2012 Olympic Games. This announcement was not only incredibly significant to Britain but also to Much Wenlock and the future development of the Brookes legacy. To capture the potential benefits of this once in a lifetime opportunity and spread and teach people about the William Penny Brookes story and to promote his beliefs a William Penny Brookes Foundation (WPBF) is being formed.

The charity’s purpose

WPBF’s main aim is to promote, invest in and celebrate the WPB philosophy. Through doing so the foundation is aiming to inspire young people to participate in a lifetime of sporting and cultural activity, encourage community cohesion and create a living legacy, while at the same time contribute to the betterment of good health and wellbeing of people throughout the UK.

This will be achieved by providing WPB related educational resources to support schools and teachers with the delivery of their sporting and cultural programmes, working together with other educational providers as appropriate, and by developing and delivering high quality WPB resources, which inspire and help diverse and under privileged communities throughout the UK to establish educational sporting and cultural programmes.

Another of the foundation's main aims is to deliver tangible and measurable sporting and cultural benefit to Much Wenlock and its surrounding communities. This will be achieved by establishing a programme of fundraising and grant giving to assist in the development of community based sports and arts groups, and by helping community groups to recruit and train volunteers who will assist with the development and delivery of sporting and cultural activity.

The charity’s composition

The WPBF will have seven local trustees and five national trustees to help in the running of its activities. The foundation received a number of exceptional applications and is pleased to announce the appointment of the successful local trustees, all of whom have a wealth of knowledge in relation to Much Wenlock, the surrounding communities and the William Penny Brookes legacy. The local trustees are Aidan Walker, Anna Dugdale, Arthur Hill, Cathie Sabin, Elizabeth Thomas, Katie Foster and Mike Grace - a big congratulations to all!

Oaks Consultancy’s role

The Much Wenlock Legacy Group and Energize Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin have combined to work together in the creation of the William Penny Brookes Foundation with the support of Oaks Consultancy.

Oaks Consultancy will play a major part in the creation, development and ongoing operation of the foundation. Oaks are currently setting up the charity and will then be responsible for the implementation of robust management systems and policies and procedures for the WPBF, along with the creation of effective financial and general administration systems, the WPBF programme resources and a detailed marketing and communications plan, ensuring the development of a strong WPBF brand identity.

Oaks will also lead in the formation of a fundraising strategy – carrying out targeted statutory and charitable grant applications on behalf of the foundation, along with the completion of a comprehensive commercial partnership programme – ensuring that long-term strategic partnerships are formed on behalf of the WPBF.