Creating Change: Young Wheelchair Users Lead the Way with the Community Change Fund

July 2025 –

It’s almost 12 months since The Kentown Wizard Foundation awarded Whizz Kidz a Community Change Fund Grant and what a year it has been. We’re so pleased to receive such positive feedback and to see the incredible impact this project is having. The fund has empowered young wheelchair users to drive meaningful change in their communities and develop skills that will last a lifetime.

With the support of The Kentown Wizard Foundation, the Whizz Kidz Community Change Fund empowers young wheelchair users to lead projects that make a real difference in their communities. Each project can receive up to £1,000 in funding, helping young people bring their ideas to life while gaining valuable, hands-on experience along the way.

Sarah Pugh, CEO at Whizz Kidz, says:
“We are incredibly grateful to The Kentown Wizard Foundation for believing in the power and potential of young wheelchair users. Projects like the Community Change Fund are not just important, they’re transformative. They give young people the chance to lead, to be heard, and to create lasting impact in their communities. This partnership is helping to build a more inclusive society, one brilliant idea at a time.”

The fund supports initiatives designed by young wheelchair users for their local communities. Whether working through a school, youth club, Scouts or Guides group, sports club, or community organisation, young people are leading projects that promote mobility, inclusion, and independence.

From project planning to budget management, applicants gain real-world skills and the opportunity to turn their ideas into meaningful change. Since launching this phase of the fund last year, Whizz Kidz has supported an inspiring range of projects, many of which may never have happened without this opportunity for young people to be heard.

Projects so far have included accessible playgrounds, Forest School sessions in primary schools, after-school Boccia clubs, a wheelchair parade in St Annes, improved accessibility at a performing arts school, and a wide variety of inclusive sports and play equipment.

These projects are a powerful reminder of what young wheelchair users can achieve when they’re given the tools, encouragement, and belief to lead the change they want to see.

Anna Twentyman, CFO of The Kentown Wizard Foundation, says:
“We first heard about the Whizz Kidz Community Change Fund when we attended one of the charity’s events in 2024. We had the privilege of speaking directly with the Youth Board, who spoke passionately and honestly about why this fund was so important. The array of ideas they shared was a major reason why the next grant we awarded was to support this very initiative. It was clear that these young people were eager to make a meaningful difference in their communities and the feedback we’ve received since has only reinforced that.”

Charity Registration number: England and Wales (802872) and Scotland (SC042607)