DICKIE Bird has blasted today's youngsters for spending too much time in front of television as he hopes to encourage more kids to get involved in sport.

The ex-Yorkshire batsman launched the Dickie Bird Foundation in 2004 and he said he has donated £60,000 of his own money to the project, including £20,000 from sales of his recently-released book, '80 Not Out'.

The foundation, whose patrons include Sir John Major and Sir Michael Parkinson, was set up to help underprivileged kids get involved in sport.

Bird, who lives at Staincross, handed out 29 grants last year to youngsters throughout Britain.

He said: "We have several meetings a year where we go through all the grants and see who we can help.

"In my opinion the kids of today spend too much time in front of the TV screen and playing computer games. We want to change that.

"Sport is important for kids - it helps them get physically active and it's good for their social skills.

"I obviously played cricket all my life and there's no better game for learning respect and building up lifelong friendships.

"We started by helping a young jockey from Grimethorpe, we donated money to Barnsley cricketer Azeem Rafiq, who is now playing for Yorkshire, and we've helped people from as far north as Scotland and as far south as Cornwall.

"We've covered a range of sports too, including table tennis, rugby, athletics, golf, ice-skating and football."

Dickie, who was also a promising footballer in his younger years, recalls the tough times he and his mate Tommy Taylor had when growing up in Barnsley.

Taylor went on to play for Manchester United and England before being tragically killed in the Munich air disaster in 1958.

Dickie said: "As the son of a coal miner, life was hard growing up in Barnsley. To get a pair of football boots or a decent cricket bat was a luxury. We made our own bats out of pieces of wood and we'd borrow each other's boots.

"One time Taylor couldn't play football as he didn't have proper boots, only his clogs. Both of our fathers worked at Monk Bretton Colliery.

"I remember those times and now I want to give something back. We give grants for equipment. Parents have to apply and tell us about their income and financial situation and then we go away and assess it.

"We hold a few fundraising events each year and I've donated some out of my own pocket. But when I see the smile on the kids' faces when we've helped them it's all worth it."