A Trip To The Palace

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QPR fans trek across London in fundraising walk

A group of Queens Park Rangers supporters will be trekking across London next Saturday (April 10) to raise money for the QPR Tiger Cubs – a team for children with Down's syndrome.

The fundraising walk will begin at Loftus Road on Saturday morning and end 12 miles (19.5 kilometres) later at Selhurst Park in SE25, just before QPR's match against Crystal Palace.

The QPR Tiger Cubs, aged between 5 and 25, attend weekly sessions in Shepherd's Bush to learn core football skills and improve their overall physical, social and emotional health.

Queens Park Rangers set up the team in 2008 “to provide children and young people with Down's syndrome the same benefits of being on a team as their able-bodied peers”. Now, the Cubs meet every Monday night at the Phoenix Sports and Fitness Centre on Bloemfontein Road and QPR say that for many of them, this is one of the few times in the week when they have an opportunity to interact with adults other than their own parents, as well as with other Down's youngsters.

QPR are one of only six football clubs in England which run teams for Down's syndrome children, and the Down's Syndrome Association (DSA) played a major role in setting up the Cubs: "This project has already been a great success and long may it continue. I would like to say a big thank you to a key partner, The Down's Syndrome Association - without their help this project would not have got off the ground," said QPR's Football Co-ordinator For People With Disabilities, Anthony Doherty.

QPR supporter James Doe said it was his idea to hold the fundraising event next Saturday: “I came up with the idea of doing the walk after watching the team play at half-time during a QPR first-team match earlier in the season and was moved to do something, as I think many others were too. The club liked my idea and the QPR Community Trust who run the team are giving us their full backing.”

The money raised by the walk will go directly to the Tiger Cubs team to cover their expenses and help them with future projects.

If you wish to support the walk and make a donation, click here

April 2, 2010