Banbury charity - Let's Play Project - launches online raffle as part of marking its 20th anniversary

The charity started off in a small office on the Fairway in 2001 and has now moved on to a stand-alone provision in Twyford today. The project now supports 135 young people with additional needs aged from 5-25 in Banbury and the surrounding area.

Originally the charity had planned to host a public fundraising event, but the arrival of Covid meant they had to change their plans.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "We are now hosting an event to celebrate our 20 years, inviting all staff and families involved in the project over the last 20 Years with some local businesses donating food and activities.

"Huge thanks for Fine Lady Bakeries, Sheila's Sweets and Brianna Bouncy Castle Hire."

They plan to host a celebration event from 11am to 3pm on September 11. The event will includes food, drinks, music, a bake-off, games, a raffle, sweet tombola and a photo booth.

All staff and families involved in the project are encouraged to attend the event dressed as their favourite super hero.

"The raffle will allow us to raise some much needed funding for the project - the pandemic has affected us massively and meant we had to cancel many of our pre-arranged fundraising events. We maximised the opportunity to raise funds online, but 18 months of disruption has left us playing catch up in terms of community fundraising."

The online fundraising raffle will continue through August and September, with the draw being held on September 22. The prizes for the raffle range from a week's stay in a holiday cottage in Whitby, Yorkshire, to an afternoon tea for two at the Oxfordshire Hotel, to a voucher for Go Ape, to tickets to see Rob Beckett in Oxford, to four tickets to Blenheim Palace, to two tickets to the Cotswold Wildlife Park, to two tickets for a tour and tasting at the Cotswold Distillery and many more.

If you would like to participate in the raffle you can use the following web link: https://letsplaybanbury.org/20-year-celebration-raffle/The Let’s Play Project is an independent local charity that currently supports more than 130 young people with additional needs (learning and physical disabilities) and their families in the local community.

A charity spokesperson said: "We place fun, creativity, development, and nurturing relationships at the heart of our service. We pride ourselves on providing specialised, understanding and professional support to our families in North Oxfordshire by offering a wide range of services such as Stay and Play, After-school Club, Youth Group Holiday Clubs, and Post 18.

"We believe ‘Every child has the right to play’ which we’ve been advocating for the last 20 years. Our objective is that every young person has the freedom to play, interact with friends and feel included during their time with us. Alongside this parents have the confidence that whilst, supported by our trained playworkers, their young person is having the best time whilst as a parent they make the most of some respite time."