Flutter, the world’s leading online sports betting and gaming operator, has announced a one-year extension to its partnership with Leeds Rhinos Foundation – increasing its funding commitment to the charity from £25,000 last year, to £36,000, to help deliver life-changing community health programmes across the city.
The renewed support will enable Leeds Rhinos Foundation to continue providing specialist services for people living with long-term health conditions, while also introducing a brand-new programme aimed at helping adults improve their health and wellbeing.
Last year, their programmes were put at risk due to a lack of funding, and Leeds Rhinos Foundation faced the prospect of leaving many local people without access to specialist support, physical activity opportunities and social connections it provides.
Through an existing relationship Flutter-owned brand Sky Bet, who remain a key sponsor of the NIC Leeds Rhinos Netball team, Leeds Rhinos Foundation reached out to Flutter.
As employers of over 1,700 people in Leeds, they responded by contributing £25,000 to ensure the provision of Leeds Rhinos Foundation services could be maintained.
Today, Flutter, owner of brands that also include Paddy Power, Betfair and tombola, confirmed they will increase their contribution to £36,000.
Hugh Robinson, retired police officer, began attending sessions with Leeds Rhinos Foundation two years ago following his diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease in 2019.
“I found that exercise is the best way of keeping the symptoms at bay. Parkinson’s UK helped the Rhinos Foundation set this up and I’ve been coming ever since it started.
“It’s physical exercise, but it’s also linked into cognitive exercise where you’re thinking. The netball rugby that we play, you’re thinking where to move to get space and it’s that your brain probably works harder than your body and you come off exhausted sometimes. But it’s also the camaraderie, the teamwork and the social aspect.
Howard Keithley, adds: “You can learn a heck of a lot because if others have the same symptoms as you, you think, oh, I’m not the only one. With any illness, MS and stuff like that, you always think, why me? But then you look around.”
Through the partnership with Flutter, the Foundation will support 180 people through five key programmes:
· Motivate – a 12-week programme endorsed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ Rheumatology Department, designed to support and educate people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
· Parkinson’s Physical Activity Programme – a year-round weekly programme helping people living with Parkinson’s Disease maintain and improve their physical activity levels.
· In Touch Dementia Support Group – monthly sessions bringing together people living with dementia and their families for support, social connection and advice.
· Reminiscence Café – weekly dementia-friendly gatherings providing opportunities for conversation, engagement and peer support.
· Try Club – Delivered by qualified health experts and the Leeds Rhinos Foundation health team, this new free 12-week weight management programme combines classroom-based learning with physical activity sessions on the pitch.
The Leeds Rhinos Foundation is the official charity Leeds Rhinos Rugby League and was set up more than 20 years ago to change lives through the power of sport.
Dan Busfield, Head of Partnerships and Development, Leeds Rhinos Foundation said: “We are incredibly grateful to Flutter for extending their partnership with us for another year and increasing their investment in our community health programmes.
“Quite simply, these services would not be possible without their support. The additional funding means we can not only continue delivering our existing programmes to 120 people but also launch Try Club, providing even more people in Leeds with access to free, expert-led support to improve their health and make lasting lifestyle changes.”
Paul McCormick, Chief Technology Officer at Flutter International, and senior business sponsor for charity initiatives at the company’s Leeds office, said: “We’re proud to continue our partnership with Leeds Rhinos Foundation and support the incredible work they do within local communities.
“As the home of Flutter’s largest UK offices, Leeds is a city that is incredibly important to our business and our colleagues. Supporting programmes that make a tangible difference to people’s lives in the communities where our teams live and work is a key part of our commitment to creating positive impact locally.”
Flutter’s support for Leeds Rhinos Foundation forms part of the company’s wider global commitment to ‘Do More’, a key pillar of its Positive Impact Plan.
Through Do More, Flutter aims to reach the lives of 10 million people by 2030, driven by the collective passion of its colleagues and the positive impact of partnerships within local communities.
As part of this, colleagues are entitled to two full days of volunteering, and Jordan Fiddes, a Leeds Rhinos season ticket holder who works in Digital Customer Marketing at Flutter, was among those who joined Leeds Rhinos Foundation at AMT Headingley Stadium in recent days.
“Flutter gives you plenty of opportunities to give back to the community and I wanted to be part of that. Being local and a big League Rhinos fan, I jumped at the opportunity to come here and see what it was about.”
“They’ve given me loads of good memories over the years. But now I feel like I can do something for them. To them it might only seem like a small piece, but to me it’s massive.”