The Lord's Taverners is the UK's leading youth cricket and

disability sports Parasports are sports played by people with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities. Some parasports are forms of adapted physical activities from existing able-bodied sports, while others have been specifically created for ...

charity. Its charitable objective is to empower and positively impact the lives of young people facing the challenges of inequality.'. It was founded in 1950 by a group of actors and BBC employees, led by founding Chairman and member No.1

Martin Boddey Albert Martin Boddey (16 April 1907 – 24 October 1975) was a British film and television actor. He was a founder member of the Lord's Taverners charity. Boddey started acting when he was nearly 40, often portraying irritable authority fig ...

, with others including

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

Jack Hawkins John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mil ...

, John Snagge,

Roy Plomley Francis Roy Plomley, ( ; 20 January 1914 – 28 May 1985) was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist. He is best remembered for devising the BBC Radio series ''Desert Island Discs'', which he hosted from its inception i ...

Gordon Crier Gordon Crier (1912 – 16 September 1984) was a Scottish radio and television producer and writer. His early successes included ''Band Waggon'', the first comedy show designed for radio, broadcast by the BBC from 1938 to 1940, co-produced by Crier ...

, and

Brian Johnston Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until ...

. They used to enjoy watching cricket from the Lord's Tavern pub in St John's Wood Road, close by

Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County ...

. Their headquarters are located in London, with the support of over 50 regions. The Lord's Taverners also benefits from the fundraising activities of Regional Committees and its 5,000 members, many of them work in sport and entertainment. The list includes

Sir Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (born 28 March 1935) is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other talk shows and programmes both in the U ...

Sir Alastair Cook Sir Alastair Nathan Cook (born 25 December 1984) is an English cricketer who plays for Essex County Cricket Club, and played for England in all international formats from 2006 to 2018. A former captain of the England Test and One-Day Interna ...

Sir Andrew Strauss Sir Andrew John Strauss (born 2 March 1977) is an English cricket administrator and former player, formerly the Director of Cricket for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He played county cricket for Middlesex, and captained the Engl ...

Greg James Gregory James Alan Milward (born 17 December 1985) is an English radio and television presenter, comedian and author. He is the host of BBC Radio 1's breakfast show, co-presenter on the cricket podcast '' Tailenders'' alongside Felix White and ...

Miles Jupp Miles Hugh Barrett Jupp (born 8 September 1979) is an English actor, singer, and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian before playing the role of the inventor Archie in the children's television series '' Balamory''. He also played ...

, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson,

Jonathan Agnew Jonathan Philip Agnew, (born 4 April 1960) is an English cricket broadcaster and a former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro" � ...

and

Mike Gatting Michael William Gatting (born 6 June 1957) is an English former cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex (1975–1998; captain 1983–1997) and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test ma ...

History

The charity was formed in the week after the West Indies'

victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

over England in the second Test Match at Lord's in 1950. Initially, money raised each year was given to the

National Playing Fields Association Fields in Trust, is a British charity set up in 1925 as the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), by Brigadier-General Reginald Kentish and the Duke of York, later King George VI, who was the first president, which protects parks and green s ...

(now known as Fields in Trust whom the Taverners still support) on the recommendation of The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron and 'Twelfth Man' of The Lord's Taverners. The existence of the Lord's Taverners and the involvement of early members can be broadly summarised by the following:

''"We've all got professional and sporting interests in common. So why not start a club, based at the beloved old tavern here. We can talk about our work and watch the cricket. And we can try to put a few bob back into the game at the same time."''

Since its inception, the Lord's Taverners has developed into a membership charity. For the first fifteen years, the NPFA was the sole beneficiary of the Lord's Taverners, with the money all going to cricket projects, mostly for the installation of artificial pitches. By the time of the first annual dinner in September 1951, the Lord's Taverners had developed a membership programme - mirrored in much of the charity's activities today. Within the first year, the membership included

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...

Tommy Trinder Thomas Edward Trinder CBE (24 March 1909 – 10 July 1989) was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he ...

and

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisi ...

from the acting world, alongside

John Arlott Leslie Thomas John Arlott, OBE (25 February 1914 – 14 December 1991) was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's ''Test Match Special''. He was also a poet and wine connoisseur. With his poetic phraseology, he be ...

, FR Brown, AER Gilligan, RC Roberston-Glasgow, Rex Alston and

Sir Pelham Warner Sir Pelham Francis Warner, (2 October 1873 – 30 January 1963), affectionately and better known as Plum Warner or "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket, was a Test cricketer and cricket administrator. He was knighted for services to sport in ...

from cricket. The mix of business and cricket continues to transcend the core of the charity membership, whilst other sports such as golf are now well represented. The first official cricket match in the history of the charity was played in August 1953 against Bishops Stortford CC, and

Denis Compton Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...

scored 36 in one over. Subsequently, celebrity cricket matches emerged and continue to be one of the core fundraising activities of the Taverners. The teams are a mixture of former Test and County cricketers together with stars of stage, screen and sound along with those from other sports. Under the stewardship of former Kent wicketkeeper Derek Ufton, the Taverners hit their first £100,000 target in a season. Since then, and under his successor John Price, the charity now exceeds this figure each year. From 1972, under Secretary (and later Director) Captain Anthony Swainson RN, the charity's membership expanded through the newly created category of Friends of the Lord's Taverners, whilst the charity expanded geographically outwards from London, developing a series of regional bases. Thus the Taverners turned from a club to a "major charity". There are now 50 regions, fundraising entities in their own right who collectively raise over £1m per year. The membership change and geographical expansion were accompanied by the development of the Lord's Taverners charitable remit in 1975 (beyond support for the NPFA) when money was first channelled towards providing recreation for young people with disabilities. This new programme initially focused on the provision of the 'trademark' green minibuses which provide recreational opportunities for organisations looking after young people with special needs. The 1,000th minibus was delivered at the climax of the 2012 cricket season; 2016 is the 40th Anniversary of this provision. Alongside the provision of minibuses, a programme of providing sporting opportunities (now termed 'Sporting Chances') was developed.

Charitable Programmes

''"I salute the Taverners for what they have done, and are doing, and for their example to future generations" -''
Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
.

The way money is spent by the Lord's Taverners is constantly under review. The charity works closely with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) who are the charity's principal advisers on how funds to youth cricket should be spent, as well as the MCC, the English Schools Cricket Association and the NPFA. Every year, the Lord's Taverners donates over £3 million to help young people of all abilities and backgrounds participate in sporting activities. In 2015 the Lord's Taverners provided 9.4 million 'sporting chances' for disadvantaged and disabled young people across all of its charitable programmes.

Community cricket

Wicketz
- a cricket programme that aims to support young people in disadvantaged areas of the UK where clubs provide a safe, structured environment where for young people to enjoy the physical and social benefits of playing cricket while developing life skills.
Brian Johnston Memorial Trust
- a trust fund set up in memory of the late broadcaster

. The trust supports the ECB spin bowling programme, visually impaired young cricketers, and provides scholarships for young male and female cricketers who are in genuine financial need.
Girls' Cricket
- the Lady Taverners U13 and U15 indoor (schools) and outdoor (clubs) girls' cricket competitions have given over 110,000 girls the opportunity to enjoy competitive cricket providing a framework to play at an informal and more competitive level. Almost half of the current England Women's Squad have developed through the competitions including Heather Knight,

Anya Shrubsole Anya Shrubsole (born 7 December 1991) is an English cricketer who currently plays for Berkshire, Southern Vipers and the Southern Brave. She played for England between 2008 and 2022, and has previously played domestic cricket for Somerset, We ...

and Sarah Taylor.
Awards
- recognising cricketing achievement by young players. There are three awards for young people under the age of 18: The Centurions Award which recognises a batsman scoring their first hundred; The Five-Fer Award which recognises a player taking their first five-wicket haul; The Captain's Award for someone who has demonstrated great leadership over the course of a season.

Disability cricket

Table Cricket
- played on a table tennis table, Table Cricket is an adaptive form of cricket enabling young people with physical and learning disabilities to take part in the sport with regional competitions culminating in a finals day every year at the Nursery Pavilion at Lord's Cricket Ground.
Disability Cricket Championships
- the Lord's Taverners Disability Cricket Championships (LTDCC) is a regular year-round competition and coaching programme for 1,000 disabled young people across 16 London boroughs, supported by the Berkeley Foundation.

Grants programmes

Accessible Minibuses
- providing accessible transport to schools and organisations (specially adapted minibuses) for young people with disabilities since 1976.
Wheelchair Sports
- contributions to the development of junior wheelchair basketball, support for the U19 Boccia Championships, and the donation of sports wheelchairs to disabled young people.
Disability Play Spaces
- providing grants for sensory rooms and equipment and outdoor play spaces for children with severe learning and physical disabilities, sensory impairment and autism.
Disability Cricket Resources
- in partnership with the ECB, investment has been made in a wide range of resources to give support amongst coaches within disability cricket.

Sports Kit Recycling

The Lord's Taverner
kit recycling programme
equips UK clubs and developing nations with kit donated by manufacturers, clubs and members of the public.

The Lady Taverners

The Lady Taverners owe their formation to

Baroness Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

. Normally each Prime Minister had been made a member of the Lord's Taverners. As a result, the Honorary Lady Taverners were formed and in early 1980 David Evans MP invited

to become the first Honorary Lady Taverner.

became a Lady Taverner alongside twenty three other ladies, invited by then Lord's Taverners president Eric Morecambe. They were ladies who had helped at cricket matches and those who had organised a tombola at the President's Ball, including Ann Barrington, Anne Subba Row, Baroness Heyhoe Flint, Marjorie Gover,

Judith Chalmers Judith Rosemary Locke Chalmers (born 10 October 1935) is a British television presenter who is best known for presenting the travel programme '' Wish You Were Here...?'' from 1974 to 2003. Early life Chalmers was born in Gatley, Cheshire. Her ...

, Betty Surridge and Joan Morecambe. In 1986 a committee was formed with Anne Subba Row as chairman, and events such as spring and autumn lunches followed. Following the only Honorary Lady Taverners annual general meeting, membership was opened to paying ladies and the first Lady Taverners were elected on 12 October 1987. The Lady Taverners now have a membership of over 1,000 and draw members from the sporting, show business and corporate worlds.

Governance

The Lord's Taverners Presidents

Sir John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

(1950–1951) * John Snagge (1952) *

(1953) *

(1954) * Major A Huskisson (1955) *

(1956) * Stephen Mitchell (1957) *

Sir John Barbirolli Sir John Barbirolli ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli; 2 December 189929 July 1970) was a British conductor and cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 194 ...

(1958) * Sir Ian Jacob (1959) * The Duke of Edinburgh (1960–1961) * Sir Robert Menzies (1962) *

Richard Hearne Richard Lewis Hearne (30 January 1908 – 23 August 1979) was an English actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best remembered for his stage and television character Mr Pastry. Career Hearne was born in Norwich, Norfolk, in 1908, the son ...

(1963) * John Snagge (1964) * Sir Edward Lewis (1965) *

Ronnie Waldman Ronald Hartley Waldman (13 May 1914 – 10 March 1978) was a British radio presenter and television executive for the BBC. Biography Born in London, he was the eldest son of Michael Waldman OBE JP, a sometime Mayor of Hackney, and was educa ...

(1966) *

Sir Harry Secombe Sir Harold Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'' (1951–1960), playing many characters, m ...

(1967–1968) * Lord Luke of Pavenham (1969) * Brian Rix, Baron Rix (1970) *

(1971) * Victor Silvester (1972) *

Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''. Early lif ...

(1973) *

Alf Gover Alfred Richard Gover (29 February 1908 – 7 October 2001) was an English Test cricketer. He was the mainstay of the Surrey bowling attack during the 1930s and played four Tests before and after the Second World War. He also founded and ran ...

(1974) *

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

(1975–1976) *

Eric Morecambe John Eric Bartholomew, (14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's d ...

(1977–1979) *

(1980–1981) *

Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promine ...

(1982) *

Sir Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...

(1983–1984) *

Sir David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...

(1985–1986) *

(1987) *

Sir Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

(1988–1990) *

Leslie Crowther Leslie Douglas Sargent Crowther, CBE (6 February 1933 – 29 September 1996) was an English comedian, actor, TV presenter, and game show host. Biography Crowther was born on Monday, 6 February, 1933 in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, son of ...

(1991–1992) * The Prince Edward (1993–1994) * Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge (1995–1997) * Nicholas Parsons (1998–1999) *

(2000) *

Robert Powell Robert Powell (; born 1 June 1944) is an English actor who is known for the title roles in '' Mahler'' (1974) and ''Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) and its s ...

(2001–2002) * Sir Richard Stilgoe (2003–2004) *

(2005–2007) *

Bill Tidy William Edward "Bill" Tidy, MBE (born 9 October 1933), is a British cartoonist, writer and television personality, known chiefly for his comic strips. Tidy was appointed MBE in 2000 for "Services to Journalism". He is noted for his charitable ...

(2007–2009) *

Chris Tarrant Christopher John Tarrant, (born 10 October 1946) is an English broadcaster, television personality and former radio DJ. He presented the ITV children's television show '' Tiswas'' from 1974 to 1981, and the game show '' Who Wants to Be a Mil ...

(2009–2011) *

Barry Norman Barry Leslie Norman (21 August 1933 – 30 June 2017) was a British film critic, television presenter and journalist. He presented the BBC's cinema review programme, '' Film...'', from 1972 to 1998. Early life Born at St Thomas’s Hospital ...

(2011-2012) *

Chris Cowdrey Christopher Stuart Cowdrey (born 20 October 1957) is a former English cricketer. Cowdrey played for Kent, Glamorgan and England as an all-rounder. He is the eldest son of the cricketer and life peer, Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge. ...

(2012–2015) *

(2015–2018) * Sir Trevor McDonald (2018–2020) *

David Gower David Ivon Gower (born 1 April 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 Te ...

(2020–Present) In 2007

Sir Bobby Robson Sir Robert William Robson (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English footballer and football manager. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswic ...

was to have succeeded

as president, although was unable to do so due to his ill-health. The charity later praised Robson posthumously with a March 2010 formal dinner in aid of the

Sir Bobby Robson Foundation The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is a British cancer research charity which raises money to fund the early detection and treatment of cancer, and clinical trials of anti-cancer drugs. Based in the North East of England, the Foundation was launch ...

, in honour of "The best President we never had".

The Lord's Taverners Chairmen

(1950–1952) *

Michael Shepley Arthur Michael Shepley-Smith (29 September 1907 – 28 September 1961), known professionally as Michael Shepley, was a British actor, appearing in theatre, film and some television between 1929 and 1961. He was born in Plymouth, Devon. Shepl ...

(1953) * Stephen Mitchell (1954) *

John Glyn-Jones John Glyn-Jones (28 August 1908 – 21 January 1997) was a British stage, radio, television and film actor. His father, William Glyn-Jones, was a Member of Parliament and he was educated at Bishop's Stortford College and Oxford University. H ...

(1955) * John Snagge (1956) * Jack Payne (1958–1959) *

(1959) * John Snagge (1960–1961) * Leslie Frewin (1962) * Roy Rich (1963–1964) * A C L Bennett (1965–1966) *

(1967) * Jack Rayfield (1968–1969) *

Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including '' ...

(1970–1971) * Mark Motho (1972–1973) * Peter Palmer (1974–1975) * John Josling (1976–1977) *

Chris Howland Chris Howland (30 July 1928 – 29 November 2013)Press release
Mhowland.de, accessdate 3 December 2013 was a British rad ...

(1978–1979) *

Neil Durden-Smith Neil Durden-Smith OBE (born 18 August 1933, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, England) is a former English sports commentator and first-class cricketer. Life and career Durden-Smith was educated at Aldenham School and the Britannia Royal Naval ...

(1980–1981) * David Evans (1982–1983) * John Bromley (1984–1985) * Mervyn Grubb (1986–1987) * Robin Moors (1988–1989) * Derek Ufton (1990–1991) * Brian Baldock (1992–1994) * Ken Lawrence (1995–1996) * John Bromley (1997–1999) * Roger Smith (2000–2001) * John Ayling (2002–2003) * Richard Groom (2004–2006) * Jonathan Rice (2006–2008) * John Hooper (2008–2010) * John Ayling (2010–2012) * Tom Rodwell (2012–2014) * Roger Smith (2014–2016) * Martin Smith (2016–2017) * David Collier (2018–2020) *

Tim Luckhurst Timothy Colin Harvey Luckhurst (born 8 January 1963) is a British journalist and academic, currently principal of South College of Durham University and an associate pro-vice-chancellor. Between 2007 and 2019 he was professor of Journalism at t ...

(2020–Present)

The Lady Taverners Presidents

* Joan Morecambe (1987-1992) *

(1992-2001) *

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe Flint, ( Heyhoe; 11 June 1939 – 18 January 2017) was an English cricketer, businesswoman and philanthropist. She was best known for being captain of England from 1966 to 1978, and was unbeaten in six T ...

(2001–2011) *

Angela Rippon Angela May Rippon (born 12 October 1944)"Angela Rippon," ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Detroit: Gale, (2008) ''Gale Biography In Context'' is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and tele ...

(2011–2016) *

Lesley Garrett Lesley Garrett, CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano singer, musician, broadcaster and media personality. She is noted for being at home in opera and "crossover music". Early life Garrett was born in the town of Thorne, near Donc ...

(2016–2018) *

Debbie McGee Debra Ann McGee (born 31 October 1958) is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the assistant and widow of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and for three years was artistic director of her ...

(2018–present)

The Lady Taverners Chairmen

* Anne Subba Row (1985–1986) * Diana Thomas (1987–1988) * Maria Moult (1989–1990) * Wendy Caller (1991–1992) * Laura Collins (1993–1994) * Lesley Balls (1995–1996) * Chrissie Colbeck (acting) (1997–1998) * Jean Ratcliff (1998–2000) * Judy Haggas (2000–2002) * Dulcie Quinnell (2003–2004) * Annie Peacock (2004–2005) * Dame Maggie Smith (2006–2008) * Denise Horne (2008–2010) * Sally Surridge (2010–2012) * Marilyn Fry (2012–2014) * Carol Robinson (2014–Present)

References

External links

* * {{EW charity, 306054 Cricket culture Charities based in London 1950 establishments in the United Kingdom