A neon windmill and top-of-the-range sports equipment once used as part of a major television show are now helping charities for young people and rescue animals across Greater Manchester.
Props and sports equipment originally seen on Sky’s longest‑running, BAFTA-winning entertainment series A League of Their Own have been rehomed across a wide range of local charities and youth support groups in Manchester, helping to support children, young adults and people with additional needs in local communities across some of Manchester’s most deprived areas.
Following the wrap on filming for A League of Their Own’s final season in dock10 Studios in Salford, bringing an end to the show’s 15‑year run, Sky and CPL Productions partnered with sustainable production experts PropUp Project to donate over 5,600 items from the show across the UK.
How a neon windmill once seen on TV is being used by Manchester & Cheshire Dogs’ Home
One of the most eye‑catching items, a neon windmill formerly built for one of the show’s iconic challenges featuring UFC superstar Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett, has found a new home at Manchester & Cheshire Dogs’ Home in Harpurhey, where it has helped bring in vital funds for local rescue dogs.
The dogs’ home, which cares for around 120 stray dogs, is self‑funded and relies heavily on donations, volunteers and fundraising events. The neon windmill has been used as a striking entrance feature at the charity’s summer fair and its popular Christmas fair in December, helping provide an exciting display for visitors. When not in use at fundraising events, it has provided a colourful backdrop for new adopters to take a “Gotcha” photo with their newly adopted dogs at the rescue home on their day of adoption.
Reclaimed astroturf from the show’s set has also been repurposed as flooring at fundraising events, helping elevate look and feel without additional cost, while donated ropes have also been put to good to make tugger toys for the dogs. Manchester & Cheshire Dogs’ Home is supported by a large team of volunteers who help care for the animals and run fundraising events, and so any donations are vital in helping dogs on their journey to rehoming.
How props from a major television show are now helping young people in Manchester access sport and stay active
Alongside supporting animal welfare, the props donated from A League of Their Own are also helping young people across Manchester and Salford stay active, build confidence and access support through sport.
In Salford, Graystone Action Sports has used donated equipment to help children access actions sports, including skateboarding, climbing, gymnastics and trampolining over the school holidays. As part of Salford Council’s Holiday Activity Fund, the centre enables children from low‑income families to access activities and equipment free of charge, helping remove cost as a barrier to action sports.
Grassroots football club Abraham Moss Warriors, supporting families in Cheetham and Crumpsall, also received footballs, cones, bibs and training mannequins used on A League of Their Own. The donation has helped the club run sessions in areas of higher deprivation where specialist equipment can be expensive to buy. Meanwhile in Chorlton, a local charity bike shop received balance bikes, cycling clothing and accessories to sell to the public. The money raised will be donated to Cyclists Fighting Cancer, a charity that helps support young people with a cancer diagnosis stay active.
In Moss Side, the Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club run by local firefighters and volunteers received boxing gloves, boots and equipment to help their work engaging young people through sport. The club uses boxing to provide structure, discipline and positive pathways for children growing up in one of Manchester’s more deprived communities.
Elsewhere in the city, HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton received equipment that will be used by its 10,000 members including those with additional needs aged between 8 and 25, with around 120 young people attending their facility every day. Manchester Youth Zone also received footballs, basketballs and tennis balls to support popular sports sessions for young people aged 8–25 across North Manchester.
The donations also helped Manchester Metros Ice Hockey Club, the only university ice hockey club in the North West, by providing helmets for new players and so helping reduce the cost barrier for one of the most expensive sports to access. For community groups like Mad Dogs Homeless Project in Manchester, which supports people on the streets, in hostels and in temporary accommodation seven nights a week, donated items have been put to use in their outreach work that includes serving 300 hot meals every might with the help of 50 volunteers.
Fiona Ball, Group Director Bigger Picture & Sustainability at Sky, said: “A League of Their Own has always been about big characters, big moments and not taking itself too seriously – so it feels fitting that some of its most memorable props are now bringing joy in completely different ways. Seeing items that once lit up the studio go on to support local communities, charities and even a dogs’ rescue centre is a brilliant example of how the legacy of a show doesn’t have to end when the final episode airs.”
Kate Allan, Co-Founder & Director at PropUp Project said: “We’re proud to have worked with Sky and CPL Productions to show how the screen industry can lead by example. This collaboration demonstrates that sustainability and community impact can go hand in hand, turning production materials into lasting local benefit. The props we see on screen every day can become vital resources for people and truly have the power to change lives, so we’re incredibly grateful to Sky and CPL Productions for helping make that possible.”
All of the donations came from A League of Their Own, which aired its final episode in December 2025 after 15 years and 20 seasons, as part of Sky’s wider ambition to create a more sustainable production industry, where items once seen on television are reused by local communities. Manchester’s beneficiaries are among 38 organisations that received donations.
