ramsac raises £2k for Challengers in a month of play!

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Kayleigh Wilkinson

Challengers provide accessible play for some of the most challenged young people in Surrey and Hampshire. With a strong belief that disability shouldn’t be a barrier to young people accessing play, the charity has recently launched a state-of-the-art accessible playground in their Guildford playscheme. To fund the cost of launching this great new facility, the charity approached ramsac with a challenge to fund the £2k costs of the launch event. 

Never ones to turn down a challenge, ramsac’s team of Wellbeing and Environment champions gathered to brainstorm fundraising ideas. As we were raising money for a children’s charity centred around play, we launched a month of play themed activities for the team to get involved with, with a number of activities planned around the month of July, including quizzes, a summer fair, paper aeroplane competitions and even a company-wide game of hide and seek! 

Reflecting on the month of play, ramsac’s Dan May said

‘It was great that we have been able to donate £2k to the Challengers playground appeal, but in addition, our own team have also directly benefited. Events like this all support our team culture, they bring people from different parts of the business together and they help staff to feel better about the business, as it’s well documented that people like to work for organisations that have a community impact. Events such as our play month, really do have a win: win benefit!” 

We had nothing but positive feedback from our staff who thoroughly enjoyed our fundraising month.  We are incredibly proud of this achievement and of everyone who came together to make it possible.   

Alex Devoy from Challengers said

“Thanks to help from supporters like ramsac, we were able to build a brand new, state-of-the-art playground at Challengers Guildford Play Centre in Stoke Park! This was a fantastic opportunity to build a bigger, better playground for the next generation of disabled children and young people, and the wider community. Challengers new playground features specialist equipment to facilitate disabled children, creating a versatile and diverse space with something for everyone, including: 

• A Brooklands-inspired circuit for thrill-seekers to run and race around, 
• Sloping green hills which children can climb, roll and slide down to their heart’s content, 
• Our tribute to the River Wey will run through the playground, providing children with a cool, calm place to splash about, 
• A large open sandpit inspired by the golden sand at Frensham Ponds, providing endless fun and games. 

This playground is vitally important to disabled children and their families, as only 6% of our parents feel that there are enough accessible and inclusive playgrounds in Surrey. When not in use at Challengers, we plan to open our new playground on our Family Fun Days for local families to enjoy together. 81% of Challengers parents have told us that this new playground will help them feel included and part of the community. It will be a space where disabled and non-disabled children can come together, to make friends and learn from each other, without limitations.” 

Challengers has been breaking down barriers to play and leisure for disabled children and young people since 1979. What started as a weekly inclusive swimming club, quickly grew in response to demand and we now support 846 disabled children and young people, and their families each year, providing hours of fun across Surrey, Hampshire, Greater London and West Sussex. 

Challengers operate a business club which supports businesses who want to increase their local charitable involvement. For more information visit Challengers