The Ridge Foundation

The Ridge Foundation was founded by entrepreneur Darren Ridge to help children and young people from challenging backgrounds to reach their full potential.

The Foundation is inspired by Darren’s own experiences growing up on a council estate in a deprived area.

Having gone on to achieve success in the telecoms industry, he set up the Foundation to support projects that help young people from similar backgrounds to learn and thrive.

The Ridge Foundation’s first intended project centres around Havant Academy, formerly Wakeford Comprehensive School, which Darren attended as a teenager.

Some of the young people who attend the academy face financial, family and societal challenges that can hold them back and prevent them from reaching their potential.

For example, in the Leigh Park area where the Academy is based, 68% of the students come from broken families and 50% of the children never leave the immediate area.

The Ridge Foundation aims to support the Academy in helping these young people to learn and flourish. The Foundation is currently fundraising while in conversation with the Academy’s leadership about the most beneficial way to use charitable donations.

Reflecting Darren Ridge’s own background in telecoms, the aim is to support a project to improve the education environment for young people in STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics) learning.