One of Britain's leading youth cricket and disability sports charities, The Lord's Taverners, has entered into a major new partnership with BT to create 12 "sensory areas" across the UK for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities. Together, BT and The Lord's Taverners are investing nearly £400,000 in the project, which will leave a lasting legacy in local communities across the UK. 

The partnership was officially unveiled at a House of Commons reception on the 1st March hosted by Hugh Robertson MP, Shadow Minister for Sport & the Olympics. Mr Robertson praised the work of both organisations and the impact this partnership will have on the lives of young people with communication difficulties.

The Lord's Taverners is a charity dedicated to providing sporting and recreational opportunities to disadvantaged and disabled youngsters. In partnership with BT, this new project will allow many thousands of young people to benefit from a new type of learning environment that enables them to explore communication skills from an entirely new perspective.

Matthew Patten, Chief Executive of The Lord's Taverners said:

"We're delighted that BT has become a partner in this exciting project. Thanks to this initiative from BT, thousands of disabled children, and their families, are set to benefit from state-of-the-art therapeutic equipment. We are thrilled to be able to offer multi-sensory rooms that will have a lasting impact on so many lives."

Sir Mike Rake, BT Group chairman, said: "BT has a long history of supporting community projects and helping young people improve their communication skills. We're thrilled to be working with The Lord's Taverners to deliver these multi-sensory rooms, which will benefit thousands of children across the UK."

Time spent in a multi-sensory room has been shown to increase spatial awareness, concentration, relaxation and alertness. For children with autism or severe communication difficulties, the stimulating and soothing properties of these rooms has been shown to calm their behaviour and make them more communicative and responsive. 

Multi-sensory rooms feature a relaxing and stimulating variety of sights, sounds and textures which help disabled children to learn in an environment that suits their educational needs. Such rooms can result in dramatic benefit to children with sensory impairment, and they can enhance development of senses such as hearing, sight, smell and touch.

The first multi-sensory room funded by the partnership between The Lord's Taverners and BT will be created at the Royal School Manchester, a school and college for young people with significant communication difficulties. The launch is planned for May, to coincide with the start of the BT Paralympic World Cup.

This new venture between BT and The Lord's Taverners is inspired by BT's continued support of education and sporting initiatives through its London 2012 programme and its role as an Official England 2018 World Cup Bid Partner. In addition to the creation of sensory rooms, BT people will become volunteers supporting Lord's Taverners activities and will also seek to raise funds for the charity.