News & Blog
Here you’ll find the latest news from Challengers and blog posts from our community.
Challengers CEO, Gen Dearman speaks with BBC Radio Surrey on the Government’s Schools White Paper
The UK government’s white paper “Every child achieving and thriving”, published by the Department for Education this week, sets out a comprehensive vision and reform plan for England’s schools system, with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) at its heart.
Gen Dearman, Challengers’ CEO, was invited to speak on BBC Radio Surrey earlier this week to discuss what the white paper means for children with SEND and their parents.
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A Season of Giving: Oscar Raises Funds for Challengers
Just recently, 11-year-old Oscar turned a simple, Christmas craft activity into something special. Inspired after walking past our Guildford centre, and remembering what we do, Oscar created handmade, light-up twine stars to raise money for Challengers!
We absolutely had to find out more so caught up with Oscar to talk about how the idea came to life, what he learned along the way, and why he’s already planning his next fundraiser.
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Smiles All Round: Welcoming Ed Davey and Zoe Franklin to Challengers
On Friday 23 January the 555 Guildford team were thrilled to welcome two very important visitors for a morning of baking and play.
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Challengers announces the appointment of four new Trustees
We are delighted to announce four new Trustees to the Challengers Board of Trustees – Ashley Carter, Holly Goodwin, Dr Ruth Milton and David Stam.
Each brings a wealth of experience that will play a vital role in guiding our strategic direction and ensuring we continue to deliver on our mission to transform the lives of disabled children, young people and their families through the power of play.
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Parent Ambassador, Gail Bedding, awarded British Empire Medal (BEM) in King’s New Year Honours 2026
We’re thrilled to share that Gail Bedding, Challengers Parent Ambassador and former trustee, has been recognised in the New Year Honours List for her outstanding contribution to community.
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Giving Tuesday: Challengers launches its ‘Give me a break’ campaign for the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2025
Giving Tuesday is here! And at Challengers, we’re about to launch our biggest fundraising opportunity of the year.
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Strategy +1: One Year into Our Five-Year Roadmap
Challengers CEO Gen Dearman discusses the foundations made one year in after launching Challengers’ new 5 year strategy last September, and although in-roads have been made, ‘the need for our work has never been greater…’
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Celebrating Team Orange: Where Inclusion and Play Shine Brightest
In anticipation of Orange October, we sat down with our CEO to reflect on what makes this time of year so special for Challengers. Beyond the sea of orange T-shirts, events and celebrations, it’s a chance to shine a light on the values that drive us, the community that supports us, and the joy and inclusion that are at the heart of everything we do.
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Sunshine, Smiles & Community Spirit – Orange Aid’s Brilliant Second Act
We were thrilled to host the second ‘Orange Aid’ Family Festival on Saturday 13 September, inviting over 400 disabled children and their families to Challengers for a fun free day out.
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