01/02/09

The 2005 World and current UK Snooker Champion, Shaun Murphy, visited the Paul Hunter Foundation recently. Shaun visited the Fylde coast where he took part in the Paul Hunter Foundation roadshow which brought together the youngsters that were taking part in the Fylde and Young Peoples Service Motivate programme, together with Blackpool Connexions weekly roadshow. Over 50 people took part in the event where various games took place, including the 60 second challenge which Shaun managed to score seven reds within the allotted 60 seconds. Shaun played over 30 youngsters during the evening and posed for pictures and gave autographs. This was the official launch of the Paul Hunter Foundation on the Fylde coast. The following day, Shaun visited the Paul Hunter Foundation roadshow in Accrington which was launched last September in Lancashire. Shaun again played 40 to 50 youngsters who twice weekly visit the Cuemaster Snooker Club in Accrington. This event is a collaborative partnership between YNOT, the North Lancs Training Group and the Paul Hunter Foundation. Shaun then visited White Ash special school where he presented a six foot snooker table to the youngsters who had taken part in the 2008 Functional Skills event which featured six times World Champion, Steve Davis. Shaun played the youngsters, who have varying disabilities, at snooker and chatted in a classroom situation. He then visited North Lancs Training Group where he chatted to staff and showed off the United Kingdom trophy, which was with him throughout his stay at the Paul Hunter Foundation. Shaun then, together with Brandan Parker, his manager and trustee of the Foundation, visited the Accrington Academy who are planning a full Paul Hunter Foundation roadshow day on 9th February which will feature Steve Davis. Shaun took part in various lessons throughout the afternoon including media and religious studies where the group talked in depth about the Paul Hunter Foundation. Brandan also took part in an enterprise lesson where he talked about sports management and sponsorship and its current impact on the game. On Saturday Shaun then took part in the Paul Hunter Foundation Academy programme which takes place every Saturday 10.00 a.m. until 1.00 p.m. at the Padiham Snooker Club in Padiham where over 30 youngsters each week receive coaching and advice on how to improve their game. Shaun was quoted in the Blackpool Gazette as saying “the events are fantastic, the youngsters are really enthusiastic and certainly have an eye for the ball. I used to play snooker with Paul and he would have loved events like these. Snooker helps with maths and literacy and the team who run these weekly sessions from North Lancs Training Group are amazing at providing good guidance.”

To view all the pictures taken with Shaun, please click here.