SPORTED. was set up by Sir Keith Mills who was inspired by his experience as Chief executive of the 2012 London Olympic bid team, giving him the vision to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people through sport.

sported. has been working in Cornwall for the past 12 months, supporting the development of six organisations that are using sport as a tool to help disadvantaged young people in several areas of life, including supporting them back into education, leading healthier lifestyles, improving their community engagement and offering participation opportunities in sport and physical exercise. sported. has helped these organisations and clubs develop comprehensive business plans, write income and expenditure plans, and apply for appropriate funding to make their projects become a reality.

sported. has a team of volunteer mentors, who are experienced business, sports or funding development workers, who support each project and ensure each organisation achieves their goal.

Richard May, Centre manager at The Dracaena Centre in Cornwall, one of the sported. supported projects said 'We are extremely grateful for the support we are getting and know that there is no way we could do this on our own. The service from sported. is superb.'

sported. is looking to expand its work in Cornwall and also move into Devon, in the next month. Organisations and clubs who use sport as a tool to improve young peoples' lives, and are looking for support with governance, funding or business planning, are encouraged to contact sported. regional manager Julian Wills [email protected]">[email protected] or register on the sported. website at http://www.sported.org.uk">www.sported.org.uk

Experienced business, sports or funding development workers who would like to help support their community by volunteering to be a sported. mentor can contact Julian on 01822 850454 or via his email address above.