The Lord's Taverners is the UK's leading youth cricket and disability sports charity. Its charitable objective is to empower and positively impact the lives of young people facing the challenges of inequality.'. It was founded in 1950 by a group of actors and BBC employees, led by founding Chairman and member No.1 Martin Boddey, with others including John Mills, Jack Hawkins, John Snagge, Roy Plomley, Gordon Crier, and Brian Johnston. They used to enjoy watching cricket from the Lord's Tavern pub in St John's Wood Road, close by Lord's Cricket Ground. Their headquarters are located in London, with the support of over 50 regions. The Lord's Taverners also benefits from the fundraising activities of Regional Committees and its 5,000 members, many of them work in sport and entertainment. The list includes Sir Michael Parkinson, Sir Alastair Cook, Sir Andrew Strauss, Greg James, Miles Jupp, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Jonathan Agnew and Mike Gatting. History The charity was formed in the week after the West Indies' victory over England in the second Test Match at Lord's in 1950. Initially, money raised each year was given to the National Playing Fields Association (now known as Fields in Trust whom the Taverners still support) on the recommendation of The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron and 'Twelfth Man' of The Lord's Taverners. The existence of the Lord's Taverners and the involvement of early members can be broadly summarised by the following:"We've all got professional and sporting interests in common. So why not start a club, based at the beloved old tavern here. We can talk about our work and watch the cricket. And we can try to put a few bob back into the game at the same time."Since its inception, the Lord's Taverners has developed into a membership charity. For the first fifteen years, the NPFA was the sole beneficiary of the Lord's Taverners, with the money all going to cricket projects, mostly for the installation of artificial pitches. By the time of the first annual dinner in September 1951, the Lord's Taverners had developed a membership programme - mirrored in much of the charity's activities today. Within the first year, the membership included Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Trevor Howard, Tommy Trinder and Richard Attenborough from the acting world, alongside John Arlott, Brian Johnston, FR Brown, AER Gilligan, RC Roberston-Glasgow, Rex Alston and Sir Pelham Warner from cricket. The mix of business and cricket continues