Blackburn Youth Darts Academy is a non profit organisation which has been running since March 2017. We provide a community based opportunities for youths around Lancashire in the sport of darts. We have over 35 children attending each weekly sessions. Our organisation relies on donations, sponsorship and lots of fundraising to be able to operate. A majority of our service users come from vulnerable and deprived areas. We offer somewhere for the kids to feel safe and an affordable activity to participate in which also helps improve their mathematics and has a great impact on their school work with many schools asking the academy to go in and run sessions to help improve pupils mathematics. Due to the corona virus we have had to take steps to close our doors until lockdown ends.However we still have bills to pay and currently aren't bringing in any income. Our venue is at risk of closure also because of the virus. We need to safeguard our future now. Please will you help us do this.

What we'll deliver:

• open our doors again
• Pay bills and operating costs
• Run more sessions for more youths
• run sessions in schools once lockdown ends
• buy more equipment
• run online sessions for kids in lockdown
• Provide dartboard for deprived children at their home

Why it's a great idea:

whilst in lockdown we want to be able to deliver online sessions in order to keep children engaged and staying at home. Sessions can also involve the whole family so will bring families closer together and help beat mental illness during this horrendous and scary times. Along with running online sessions and competitions we can help safeguard our future but ensuring bills are paid on time, new equipment is purchased so after lock down we can take more children in our sessions. Some children also can not afford dartboards for their home so with funding and backing we can get a dartboard and portable stand sent to the most deprived of our children abling them to take part at home keeping safe. We can also ensure we will always have a venue to go to once this virus has gone and we can get back to some normality. We have had to cancel 3 of our biggest fundraisers due to the virus which will hot us very hard. Support from you will help us survive. We are the only jdc dart academy in NW

Steps to get it done:

• surviving the impact of corona virus
• safeguarding our venue
• buying more equipment
• increasing the amount of sessions we run
• accept more service users each week
• attend schools to deliver sessions

the organisation is all ran by volunteers (11) please feel free to check out our website www.blackburnyouthdartsacademy.co.uk We have won the highest awards within youth dart academies which is the jdc Community award 2019 stating we are the best and provide the best opportunities from all of the other jdc dart academies in the world. We must ensure the organisation will continue to survive whilst we are in lockdown. Our venue is also a non profit building and is also struggling before this national emergency so we must have a contingency plan incase we need to secure a new venue quickly. Any help will be greatly appreciated it and we fully understand that many other organisations are in a similar pressing situation as us. We are the future of the sport however and we are helping so many children and teenagers which are the future. Thank you for reading and we look forward to having your support. Keith Brunt - Academy Director.