Partnership

Denis Law Legacy Trust

The Wood Foundation supports Denis Law Legacy Trust through a six-year partnership focused on helping young people explore positive pathways into education, employment and training, through the Denis Law Academy programme.

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Denis Law Legacy Trust

Imgi 165 20220722 Denis Law Sportdi Strada 802 B28129

Supporting trusted community-led work

Denis Law Legacy Trust is a registered charity delivering free sport and creative activity for young people across Aberdeen.

Through its flagship Streetsport programme, delivered in partnership with Robert Gordon University, the Trust works in communities across the city for 50 weeks of the year. Its sessions are free to access and designed to remove barriers to participation.

For The Wood Foundation, this partnership is about building on trust that already exists. Streetsport has a strong presence in Aberdeen’s communities, giving the Trust a meaningful way to engage young people in the places where they live.

A trust built on community

Set up in honour of Denis Law, the Trust uses sport, creativity and outreach to create positive experiences for young people.

Their work began as a way to reduce youth annoyance and anti-social behaviour by offering free, accessible activity in local communities. Over time, it has developed into a wider platform for engagement, support and opportunity.

That community presence matters. It means the Trust can reach young people in familiar settings, build relationships over time and create openings for deeper conversations about their future.

The Wood Foundation’s support

The Wood Foundation has committed to a six-year partnership with Denis Law Legacy Trust to support early employment pathways through the Denis Law Academy for Streetsport participants.

The investment enables the Trust to employ a dedicated member of staff who can work directly with young people, understand their interests and help them access routes into education, employment or training.

This partnership was developed after Denis Law Legacy Trust took part in The Wood Foundation’s NEW Fund programme, which helped health and wellbeing organisations in Aberdeen City use service design to better understand community need.

Investment in action

The Wood Foundation’s support is helping Denis Law Legacy Trust sustain and deliver their Denis Law Academy programme.

By funding dedicated capacity, the Foundation is helping the Trust create more intentional pathways for young people who may need support to take their next step.

Six-year partnership

After an initial three-year commitment in 2023, The Wood Foundation has just committed to supporting the approach for another three years
Dedicated staff capacity

The funding supports a role focused on working directly with young people across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.
Positive pathways

The partnership helps young people explore routes into education, employment and training
Built from NEW Fund learning

The approach developed after the Trust’s involvement in The Wood Foundation’s North-east Wellbeing Fund

The impact of the partnership

This partnership helps connect trusted community engagement with more personalised support for young people.

Streetsport creates the first point of connection. The Wood Foundation’s investment helps turn that relationship into a route towards future opportunity.

That matters because young people do not always move into positive pathways through formal systems alone. Sometimes the most effective support begins in familiar places, with people they already know and trust.

Mark Williams

Chief Operating Officer, Denis Law Legacy Trust

“The support from The Wood Foundation has been instrumental in strengthening the reach and impact of Denis Law Legacy Trust. Through our partnership, we have been able to deliver Denis Law's Academy which supports young people to build confidence, skills and positive futures. The Wood Foundations expertise, commitment, and collaborative approach have helped us scale our work and deepen our impact across the communities we serve. Together, we are creating lasting opportunities that empower the next generation and drive positive change.”

Explore other key partnerships

The Wood Foundation’s work with Denis Law Legacy Trust sits alongside other major partnerships supporting Scotland’s economy, education and communities.

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