We are building links with Secondary Schools throughout the Region some of which draw children from some of the most deprived wards in the City of Oxford itself.. (On the 2000 Index of Local Deprivation, Blackbird Leys is in the worst 10% in England in terms of multiple deprivation. It is also the most deprived ward in the county and the second most deprived in the Learning & Skills Council sub-region). We currently have 120 junior members and want to develop our activities so that we are able to recruit 40-50 athletes a year, from eight or more schools, building a club of some 400 athletes in total. Of the current total we have 4 athletes on “full scholarship” and 8 on some degree of “fee easement". We have in hand a project to take our existing project (directed to deprived juniors) to their adult counterparts.      Oxford is often presented as the city of “Dreaming Spires”, but in reality, there are significant pockets of deprivation. In parts of east and south east Oxford, unemployment, poor housing and inadequate facilities, fragmenting families and high crime rates mean that many young people are severely disadvantaged. Factors combine to create not only a poverty of reality but also a poverty of aspiration. If we are to create an inclusive society, then this group is a key one for us to understand, motivate and involve.