The Penguin Sports Foundation

02/09/2026

REFERRALS ARE OPEN:

Referrals are always open for our programmes here at The Penguin Sports Foundation.

Our mission is to provide sport and rehab opportunities for children with physical disabilities or mobility challenges in North Devon and beyond.

We provide a variety of programmes including: frame running club, a hydrotherapy programme with 1:1 sessions and an afterschool hydrotherapy club. We also offer rebound trampoline therapy and adaptive athletics for schools!

We welcome referrals directly from families and from physios, teachers, SENDCos, GPs and other professionals. If you would like to make a referral for a child or young person who you feel would benefit from our support, please get in touch by completing our online Referral Form on our website linked below, or by emailing [email protected]. We will then be back in touch to discuss next steps.

We always love having new children and young people joining our activities and finding a place in our lovely community and can't wait to meet you 💙🐧.

https://www.thepenguinsportsfoundation.co.uk/enrol.

01/09/2026

Our fabulous Chief Penguin Gemma is a finalist for the BBC Make a Difference Awards - Active for all the amazing work she has been doing for all our penguins and more 💙🐧.

She has been featured in this lovely article alongside the other Active Category Finalists, and even made the cover image 🥳!

Read all about it below! No one deserves this award more than Gemma who has worked incredibly hard to provide so many children with physical disabilities or mobility challenges to have access to fun and adaptive sports here at The Penguin Sports Foundation, as well as providing them a safe place where they can socialise and find somewhere they can belong 💖.

Congratulations and thank you Gemma.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6zjewg3lvo

Four people making sport more accessible have been nominated for the BBC Make a Difference awards.

30/08/2026

29/08/2026

🙌 Come to our Family Fitness Fun event on Saturday 12th September 2026, 14.00-16.00.🙌

Prepare for an afternoon of fun, inclusive sport for all abilities and ages! Whether you are a wheelchair user, a frame-runner, a first-timer on the track, a seasoned athlete or anything in-between, this one is for you! You are all invited to compete, support and take part.

The "60 minute Protect The Egg Challenge" will take place at 14:30 - 15:30 where you can work as a team or go solo to carry your chosen “Penguin Egg” (medicine ball from 1–12 kg or an adaptive ball) around the athletics track for 60 minutes. The aim is simple - to complete as many laps as you can while tackling fun strength, balance and coordination challenges along the way.

🗓️ Saturday 12th September 2026, 14.00-16.00 (Main challenge 14:30-15:30)
🐧North Devon Athletics Club, Wrafton Road, Braunton EX33 2HR
🎟£10 per adult/£5 per child (children under school age free!)
🏅Participant medal for everyone
☕Refreshments and goody bags

You can walk, jog, run or wheel and rest whenever you need, so set your own target whatever this may be. No fitness level required.

The afternoon is all about raising funds for The Penguin Sports Foundation with thanks to Jerk Training training for their volunteer support.

To book your tickets please go to: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thepenguinsportsfoundation/2320654

Tickets also available at the track on the day.

28/08/2026

As our Family Fitness Fun Day is getting closer some more of our penguins have been trying out one of the many "Protect the Egg" challenges we have in store for Saturday 12th September 2026.

As the smiles and squeals of excitement suggest, this is going to be an amazing afternoon full of fun and laughter whilst competing in adaptive sports that combines exercise, teamwork and socialisation. There is guaranteed to be something for everyone - whether you are a wheelchair user, a frame-runner, a first-timer on the track, a seasoned athlete or anything in-between 💙.

We are getting so excited as we prepare for this event which is sure to be amazing. At the heart of it all is that every lap helps a child move and every step taken helps provide physiotherapy, adaptive sport and life-changing opportunities for children with physical disabilities across North Devon. Together, we can help every child discover what they’re capable of while enjoying fun, competitive sport for all!

Raising funds for The Penguin Sports Foundation and supported by Jerk Training.

We can't wait to see you all there. If you would like to buy tickets click the link below or you are welcome to come along and buy tickets on the day:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thepenguinsportsfoundation/2320654

27/08/2026

We want to say the biggest to the team at Tesco Barnstaple for all the amazing support they continue to give us here at The Penguin Sports Foundation 💙.

First off, thank you to Rachael Phillips, Community Champion at the store for the wonderful trolley full of refreshment donations for our Family Fitness Fun Day and inviting us to have a stand at the store last Friday where we met many lovely customers 🐧.

Also a big thank you to our lovely trustee Fiona Eckford who helped us to run our stand.

Finally, a thank you to anyone who donated to our collection tins in store which raised £140 in total!

Thank you Tesco ☺️.

24/08/2026

A couple of weeks ago we were lucky to welcome Jo from BBC Radio Devon to talk about all things Penguin after our amazing Chief Penguin Gemma was nominated for the Make a Difference Awards in the Active category 🥳.

This evening during their Grassroots sports show, our first interview will be broadcast featuring one of our penguins: Karla at around 6:45pm, so tune in to hear her talk about what the Penguin Sports Foundation means to her 💙.

We will keep you all updated as more of the interviews start to be broadcast featuring even more of our Penguins, during their Daytime and breakfast programmes and the week of the 7th September when the Active Make A Difference finalists will be featured.

As always congratulations to Gemma for being nominated for this amazing award and a massive thank you for all you have done for all the Penguins 💖.

22/08/2026

How exciting is this?! Thank you so much to the fantastic team at the Bideford Bike Show for choosing us as your beneficiary charity for next year's Bike Show. And, of course, thank you (in advance) for the positive difference this will help to make to the local children and families we support! 🥰🐧

Let's keep moving forward together (on and off our bikes!)..

2027 BBS Beneficiary

The Penguin Sports Foundation is a local registered charity which provides sport and rehab opportunities for children with physical disabilities or mobility challenges in North Devon and beyond.
Founded to tackle inequalities in rural, low-income areas, we provide opportunities that enable every child to enjoy movement, build confidence, and reach their full potential – whatever their mobility challenge.


Led by our Director and Founder, Gemma Rous, a qualified paediatric physiotherapist, The Penguin Sports Foundation team strives to get you moving in your own way.
We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to be active, to improve wellbeing and feel included — regardless of physical ability or circumstance.
This is why The Penguin Sports Foundation (TPSF) provides therapeutic support through a range of accessible sporting activities for children (aged predominantly 2-18 years) with physical disabilities or mobility challenges in North Devon and beyond.
Our aim is to remove the barriers - both physical and financial - that prevent children and young people from accessing sport and physical activity. And, through this, help them to develop a lifelong love of movement with the many benefits this brings.
As Gemma Rous says “Disabilities can sometimes be limiting, but do not and should not define individuals’
Our programmes
The Penguin Sports Foundation runs the following programmes in venues in North Devon:
• Individual hydrotherapy sessions
• Weekly after-school Hydro Club (drop-in)
• Rebound trampoline therapy
• Weekly drop-in after-school Frame Running Club
• Adaptive Athletics for schools
Link to what we do is here: https://thepenguinsportsfoundation.co.uk/what-we-do

Website: www.thepenguinsportsfoundation.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepenguinsportsfoundation/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepenguinsportsfoundation/
The Penguin Sports Foundation

21/08/2026

Some of our penguins had great fun having a go at one of the many amazing activities that we have planned for our Family Fitness Fun Day on Saturday 12th September 2026🐧.

This teaser shows what our Family Fitness Fun Day is all about: Teamwork, Determination, Strength and a competition that is inclusive and fun for all whether you are a wheelchair user, a frame-runner, a first-timer on the track, a seasoned athlete or anything in-between 💙.

We are getting so excited as we prepare for this event which is sure to be amazing and at the heart of it all is that every lap helps a child move and every step taken helps provide physiotherapy, adaptive sport and life-changing opportunities for children with physical disabilities across North Devon. Together, we can help every child discover what they’re capable of while enjoying fun, competitive sport for all!

We can't wait to see you all there and if you would like to buy tickets click the link below:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thepenguinsportsfoundation/2320654

Raising funds for The Penguin Sports Foundation and supported by Jerk Training

15/08/2026

We want to say the biggest thank you to the Postcode Local Trust for awarding us an absolutely amazing £30, 000 grant to be split over the next 2 years - so £15,000 per year!!

We can not express enough how much this grant means to not only the team here at The Penguin Sports Foundation but all our penguins 💙.

These funds will be used to help cover the essential costs of running the charity and developing the services we offer to become even stronger, while allowing more children to experience the fun, inclusive and adaptive sports that is at the heart of what we do.

This grant was made possible thanks to the players of the Postcode Lottery UK , so we want to give a special thank you to everyone has played the Postcode Lottery as the funds will make a really significant difference to The Penguin Sports Foundation over the next two years.

To show our immense gratitude we got all of our penguins in a row (albeit not the straightest row 😂) for this lovely photo with the usual penguin flair 🐧.

Thank you so much again Postcode Local Trust!