Member Article

Leeds Children's Charity carves out campsite plans to support thousands of children

A Yorkshire-based children’s charity, recently announced as an official charity partner of Leeds United for 2023/24, hosted an afternoon of Halloween-themed fun for children from disadvantaged backgrounds at Lineham Farm.

35 school children from Greenfield Primary School in Kippax, joined Leeds United’s first-team players, Jamie Shackleton and Joe Gelhardt for an afternoon of pumpkin carving and outdoor activities, in the spirit of giving back and to raise awareness and funds for a new campsite at Lineham Farm, the home of Leeds Children’s Charity.

For 30 years, Lineham Farm has welcomed young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their families to enjoy a range of outdoor pursuits centered around freedom, fun and education.

In response to a request from children they support, Leeds Children’s Charity at Lineham Farm is on a mission to raise £30,000 to build a new campsite, which will give children and their families a much needed break from the city, where they can enjoy nature together.

Figures of children living in under privileged conditions are scarily high, with 24 per cent (36,496) reportedly living in poverty in Leeds – which is 5 per cent higher than the national average.*

According to the Department of Education, only 45 per cent of pupils in Leeds (key stage 2) are anticipated to meet the expected standards for education, compared to 71 per cent of all other pupils in the city.**

Talking about his second visit to Lineham Farm, Jamie Shackleton said, “Both times that I’ve been down here now, I’ve been able to see the kids have such a great time and you can just see that it’s a special place for them to come and enjoy their day.

“Us boys coming down, and them getting to spend a bit of time with us and have a bit of a laugh, I think it means a lot to them and we really enjoy doing it as well!”

Tamzin Glindon, lead activity worker at Leeds Children’s Charity at Lineham Farm added ““The players were both fantastic and this will be a memory that they will take back to school, and it will probably be with them for the rest of their lives. It’s just a fantastic experience as these children of course don’t have a lot in their lives sometimes, so to have this residential at Lineham Farm and the opportunity to meet the two players it’s just incredibly special for them.”

Ian Hargreaves, Chair of Trustees at Leeds Children’s Charity at Lineham Farm said, “With over 120 acres of land at Lineham Farm, there is so much potential to create a safe and secure campsite where children can come and enjoy the great outdoors and create memories and experiences they deserve.

“But, like any charity, we need the funds in order to create the vision we all have for the children of the city.

“Having support from Leeds United is fantastic and we can’t wait to see the joy and excitement of the children when they interact with the players.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Samara Ullmann .