Case Study

International Badminton Club of Darlington

International Badminton Club of Darlington

Nine players from the Keyfund group ‘The International Badminton Club of Darlington’, were lucky enough to go to Iceland in July 2011 for a nine-day tour. They played badminton in three locations - Hafnarfjordur, Akureyri and Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. This amazing opportunity not only developed players’ ability in badminton but also in working and playing together as a team.

The money from Keyfund allowed the cost of the trip for each player to be kept as low as possible which was very important as all the players are students. In addition, a small amount of the money was used for educational sightseeing tours. With many of the group interested in geography and geology, this was an invaluable experience.

The group found organising such a big trip a real test for their Keyfund skills, for example, in decision making while discussing which hotels to stay in and which tours to take. The group got to see many of Iceland’s impressive sights including the waterfalls of Gullfoss and Godafoss, the impressive Geysir and the mid-oceanic ridge. Players made use of Internet resources and other guidebooks to contribute ideas and search for information.

In terms of agreeing responsibility and seeing this through, players felt they developed this really well and said, ‘without players’ commitment in the run up to the trip, it would have been unable to take place’. To demonstrate this they set up several bag-packing events at local supermarkets which also provided a community service. Players said this really helped them understand the importance of fund-raising and the costs involved in funding such a trip. With ongoing commitments to college and university, this also meant players had to make the most of planning their time and energy, manage their time as efficiently as possible.

This was an incredibly special experience for all of those involved and one which without Keyfund may not have been possible.

The group was facilitated by Philip Boyle. It has been said that ‘the work an unknown good person has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green’. This applies to so many of our facilitators that it would be impossible to name them all. Volunteers aren’t in it for the recognition but for the rewarding experience. None would agree with this statement more than Philip Boyle, Keyfund facilitator in Darlington, or as he is now more formally known, Philip Boyle MBE, recognised for his services to education.

A retired teacher, Philip has run badminton clubs for 37 years and was so keen to avoid the limelight he managed to avoid every season’s team photo. However, his anonymity has come to an end in national recognition in the Queen’s birthday honours. Philip says, ‘my recognition is a reflection on all volunteers and the value of their work. I hope that this will encourage other facilitators to continue the meaningful work they are doing’.

Yet further fame is on its way for Philip as be has been approached by American TV network NBC to feature him as part of their Olympic coverage. However, Philip says that his work is not about backing Olympic winners, it’s about the ‘also rans’ and recognising their development is just as important.