See

from employing Claire our full time General Manager and Dawn our Catering Manager. It was all hands on deck on the 1st and 8th May when an army of volunteers, plus vans and trucks turned up at our old Clubhouse in Mill Road to move everything over to our new home - a home that had been in the pipeline for 8years! It took many hours but it was literally like a family moving home - with much banter and good humour. That’s what’s so brilliant about rugby - it is about family and the respect we have for all who play, have played, those who hold the whistle, those who encourage young players and all who just love to watch. Colchester RFC is always keen to be part of the community and each year we hold two main events. In the spring we organise a Community Day in aid of local charities. At this you will see stalls, a fun fair for children, touch & 7s rugby, performers and a range of food offers alongside a beer tent. In November we hold a spectacular fireworks evening. Hopefully now that the pandemic is coming under control we can return to sharing our new facilities with the community of Colchester. We are also very fortunate to be supported by many local businesses whose sponsorship is invaluable and they have been an integral part in our move, helping to finance important aspects of the Club such as TV screens, electronic scoreboard, storage equipment, kit and office furniture. So for Colchester RFC the future looks bright and we Facilities: Colchester RFC hope to open the Club ‘officially’ before Christmas with a formal dinner and prestigious speaker - fingers crossed! We know that we are very lucky and the stewards of wonderful facilities that we want to use for the benefit of the great game of rugby, for our members and the wider community. It's an exciting time for Colchester Rugby and we look forward to a better 2021-22 season. As I am sure everyone can appreciate, it has been difficult to build momentum, but the club move has come at just the right time. Raven Park is an inspiring environment and it is now up to our coaches and players to drive Colchester Rugby onward and upward, ultimately delivering a brand and standard of rugby that is commensurate with our new home. If you should ever visit the oldest recorded town in Britain then please do come and visit its newest rugby facilities at Raven Park; Cuckoo Farm Way, Colchester CO4 5YX. [DRAFT

08 | Rugby Blindside - Summer 2021

Club news

London Welsh announce John Taylor as Club President

Following the sad death of club President John Dawes, long time co-President John Taylor takes the helm!

To those familiar with London Welsh, it is not unusual to be rubbing shoulders with great names of the international game both past and present. As a club they are blessed to have had many of the worlds greatest names grace the turf at Old Deer Park over the years; on any given match day many such names can be seen under the watchful eye of the pagoda at Kew, taking in the atmosphere with a packed home crowd.

It is from such a blessed position that the club have been privileged for decades to have had John Dawes as their figure head, leading the face of the club as our coPresident. It was in 2018 that John's fellow London Welsh legend, friend and team mate, John Taylor joined him as co-club President in sharing what is a substantial role within such a famous and historic name in world rugby.

Following the sadness and reflection this month in the death of John Dawes, it is now with optimism and steely determination that London Welsh are delighted to confirm that John Taylor will continue with the role as the sole Club President.

John takes charge of a club galvanised and focused following 4 out of 5 years in the so dubbed '5 year plan' , following our project reset in 2017. The club has seen 3 straight promotions in as many seasons over that period and the interlude that has been the global pandemic has only strengthened resolve. John is raring to go as they look to hit the 2021/22 season with conviction when pre-season commences on 15 June with some exciting new signings and a mouth watering pre-season fixture list.

John Taylor is of course no stranger to the limelight: John (known throughout his playing career as Basil Brush for his distinctive hair style, and known to his London Welsh Family simply as JT) played 26 times for Wales and toured in 1968 (South Africa) and 1971 (New Zealand) with the British & Irish Lions, playing all 4 tests in 1971 in a famous winning tour to New Zealand (one of 7 London Welsh players on that tour!).

JT is almost as famous for his moral fortitude: in 1969/70 he refused to play for Wales against a touring South African side in a stance against the apartheid regime in that country. Again in 1974 JT declined the opportunity to tour with the Lions in South Africa on the same grounds.

Following retirement from his playing career JT kept his strong links with the Lions in a non-playing capacity, being a member of touring parties in that role since 1983. He also then went on to become the lead rugby commentator for ITV sport, commentating on the 2003 England Rugby World Cup victory. JT was also lead commentator for talk sport and during the 2015 Rugby World Cup in the UK he was the main stadium announcer at Twickenham.

However, JT's first love in the game still remains London Welsh RFC and there are few more enthusiastic in the crowd on match day than JT. The club is confident that JT will tackle his duties with aplomb and do the memory of his great friend John Dawes proud. JT is rugby royalty in the truest sense and everyone at London Welsh wishes him success and enjoyment in the role over the coming years.

The club looks forward to welcoming members, supporters and friends back to Old Deer Park for their first home game of the 2021/22 season so that they can celebrate with JT as the club kicks on to the next phase.

Chester RUFC launch Headguard Programme

After such a strange year, the club recognises the huge strain upon their players, coaches and families and they really wanted to develop a mental health scheme which allows for every member of their rugby family to feel comfortable and supported enough to ask for help or guidance should they need it.

The statistics regarding child mental health are troubling, and with so much media focus upon opening up the conversations around mental health, the club's committee really wanted to have a system in place to allow for that support to be available, and for conversations to become normalised.

They were really happy to be able to share with their club members their HeadGuard programme, launched at the start of National Mental Health Awareness week.

This is the first initiative of its kind in the North West, possibly the UK, aimed at the youth players of a club.

The club has been working with Sale Sharks and Looseheadz who are fully supporting the HeadGuard programme and have been very open at how progressive Chester RUFC are with getting a programme in place for Mental Health Awareness, and they look forward to developing awareness events and training session with them in the near future.

"LooseHeadz are very proud to be aligned with Chester RUFC on their mission to support the mental health of their players, members and volunteers. We’re excited to get started and hopefully this can be the start of a special partnership where together we can #TackleTheStigma" - Rob Shotton, Founder of Looseheadz.

Eddie Owens, Mental Health lead at Sale Sharks, said: ‘Really excited to see Chester RUFC are making mental health part of their agenda at their club, after the last 12 months. Excellent to see all the progress that’s being made’ .

Club news

Chester RUFC feel incredibly lucky to have Mark and Andy agree to help head up this initiative, they will be available at the club on Sundays, but neither will mind having a chat if you need some guidance. A huge thanks to them. Away from Fullerians Jules is MD for a Global Design Agency, mum of two teenagers and a nutty Spaniel.

Malcolm Harrison, Fullerians RFC Chairman, said “I am delighted welcome Jules onto the committee and into this important role within the club. Jules brings significant experience to the club’s committee as a player herself and as a parent of young players, as well as her huge experience in the worlds of media and brand design and management. I would like to thank Martin Newman for his service to the club as Chair of Junior Rugby, he is handing over to Jules a vibrant and growing section of the club.

Speaking about his appointment Craig Germeney said:

"I have been associated with Bury Rugby club for the past 6 years as a parent, a coach, a sponsor, a volunteer and minis chairperson. I have been a part of all of this because Bury Rugby Club is an exceptional club full of outstanding people.

"The people make Bury Rugby club, be it employees, volunteers, coaches, sponsors, players or supporters each and everyone plays a part in making this club what it is and I hope that they will continue to work with me to build on the strong foundations already laid as we strive for further ambitious improvements whilst considering and being sympathetic to the clubs history.

These strong foundations are testament to the hard work of many people over the years and it would be remis of me not to thank the more recent members that have dedicated their time and efforts to deliver our club where it is today. Firstly David Reid for his time as chairman. It has been a very difficult ship to steer, especially during covid times but his hard work and dedication has helped the club survive whilst many others have struggled and leaves it is a strong position for me to move forward on.

"I am pleased that David continues to support the club as our New treasurer and look forward to working with him closely during my tenure. This nicely brings me on to also thanking Chris Reeves Simon Lord who David has already thanked but I would also like to recognise for their hard works and length of service. Thanks to them all and thanks to those of you who have filled new positions within the exec: Andy Herlihy – Honorary Secretary and Ben Bishop – Youth Chair and Barry Cole as Vice President. I look forward to working with all of you as we take Bury rugby club on its next journey.

I have ambitious plans for Bury club and have been working behind the scenes to develop a five year strategy “vision 25” which will set out clear goals and what we need to do to achieve them.

Prior to the final role out of our 5 year strategy, before the start of the season I intend to engage with all of our staff, section leaders and core volunteers to further

Crowborough RFC announce new General Manager

The Club is extremely pleased to welcome Louise Greenaway to Crowborough Rugby Club as it’s new General Manager.

Louise has worked in the hospitality and events industry for over 20 years and most recently has been responsible for the day to day running of the bar, food and events at Nizels Golf and Country Club,

As an ex rugby player herself (East Grinstead), she is passionate about all things rugby and was extremely excited when her professional career led her to oversee all hospitality for the French rugby squad during the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.

This passion will now continue by joining the Crowborough RFC family.

About her new role Louise said:

“I am very excited to being joining Crowborough Rugby Club and getting to know you all. Linking my professional life with my passion for grassroots rugby is something I have wanted to do for a while and this was an opportunity I felt was too good to miss.

I look forward to working closely with Nigel, Mike, Jacqui, the Friday Club and all the players, coaches and volunteers to make this a really enjoyable place to visit to meet friends, have fun, have a drink or two and something to eat, not just after rugby training and matches but in the evenings and weekends. I can’t wait to get started and see you all soon”

Fullerians RFC appoints new Chair of Junior Rugby

Fullerians RFC has announced the appointment of Jules Goodair as its new Chair of Junior Rugby. Jules will take over the position on the club’s management committee when our current Chair of Junior Rugby, Martin Newman, steps down at the end of this season.

Jules has been part of the Fullers team for over 6 years. Her own family are very much rooted in the club, Husband Neil coaches both the U12 boys & U15 girls, Son Charlie plays for the U12’s, Daughter Nell used to be part of the U15’s and she herself plays for the Women’s team.

Being born and bred in Yorkshire playing the Union game has not always gone down well with her Yorkshire family, she blames Alban for hood winking her to join an Inner Warriors session where she became hooked to our beloved game.

Bury St Edmunds announce new Chairman

understand the club, the challenges they have and create some common, ambitious and clear goals for us all to work towards. To set the scene and provide a feel of our ambitions we plan to: Build on our one club ethos, promotion to national 1, increased engagement and development of the female game, recognition of our volunteers, Develop our staff and coaches, further improve our community rugby, create a sustainable commercial model and improve our facilities through extension of the club house and grandstand which I hope we can achieve by 2025 to mark the clubs centenary year.

"It is also important as we reach 50 years in March 24 since we lost players and family members in the Paris air crash to we work on something special to recognise this.

Finally, I have always been open that I have never played Rugby but I have grown fond of the game and the people and look forward to learning from Terry, Nick and Jacob and the players. What I lack in rugby knowledge I can definitely make up for in enthusiasm, drive and ambition and having just retired following the sale of my business which we grew to nearly £100m turnover I am now in a magnificent position to be able to afford the time and focus to Bury Rugby Club.

However I do plan to try and get my golfing handicap to single figures so It won’t be full time, Which brings me nicely onto the Bury Rugby Golf day on 13th August, only 3 teams left and plenty of slot for dinner only so let me know if you want to get booked in!" “My name is Gareth Griffiths and I have been coaching rugby for the last 4 seasons previously at Supermarine ladies RFC in the championship 1 south Division, where we had a number of successful seasons including winning the RFU Intermediate cup.

I am really excited and honoured to be appointed head coach of Bracknell Ladies RFC, my aim is to grow and establish the team. Creating development, growth, Ambition and an environment that will create their own success as a team and club. With my Experience and ambition as a women’s rugby coach I believe I will lead the team forward in to a new era”

As part of a campaign to extend present health support to their players Tynedale Rugby Club have announced a new extended partnership with Cognisant.

The relationship will provide not only concussion support services but also promotion of overall brain health to players from the Under 12 Age Group up to First XV.

Cognisant is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company providing support to sports organisations protecting brain health of their players. This includes assessment and advice regarding the effects of brain injury (concussion) and, more widely, the promotion of positive mental health.

Cognisant provide this service through education, training, and integration of baseline and postconcussion assessments. They also provide specialist clinical services when needed.

Jojo Maddison, Tynedale Head of Physiotherapy comments, “We have worked with Dr David Millar and his colleagues for a while now, mainly with the 1st team squad, and have been overwhelmed by the knowledge and expertise this brings.

At Tynedale Rugby Club, we have always taken player welfare very seriously, and although we have always had extensive concussion protocols, I am very excited to implement this new progressive partnership.

Regardless of age or gender every Tynedale Player involved in the contact game will have access to the best clinical support available in rugby.

This initiative doesn’t just provide structured support to my Physiotherapy team to make robust clinical decisions but also gives confidence to the coaching staff and parents that the player’s welfare is at the forefront” .

The partnership will be launching ready for the 20212022 season and all players, coaches and parents will be provided with further detail before commencement of the season.

Bracknell Rugby Club appoint new Ladies coach

As Bracknell Rugby Club's senior ladies’ team wished head coach David Rosi good luck for the future as he hung up the boots for retirement ladies coaches Stuart Evans, Carl Mauger and Matt Randall stepped until a replacement was found.

With Chair of Rugby Paul Laidler and Chairman Ian Wilson taking on the task to find a new Head coach they did not want just anyone that applied for the role but someone with ambition, drive and also able to help the club's girls players transition in to the world of senior rugby with ease.

With this in mind they found the ladies new head coach Gareth Griffiths who was ready to lead the ladies and meet the requirements set out!

The ladies had their first training session with the new coach and nothing but positive feedback was heard.

With preseason to look forward to the ladies are eager to get the boots on and work put in ready for the 2021/22 league under Gareth, as well as breaking him in with the famous Bracknell ladies’ socials!

Gareth was asked what his plans are for the ladies and about his previous experience in the game:

Tynedale RFC launch health initiative

Governance - Interview: David Barnes [DRA

12 | Rugby Blindside - Summer 2021

Interview with David Barnes, Head of Discipline at the RFU

Rugby Blindside recently spoke with David Barnes about the role of A little about you… Can you tell us a bit about your background? I have been RFU Head of Discipline since 2017, having previously held the roles of Chairman and Rugby director at the Rugby Players Association. Upon completing my degree at Durham University I was lucky enough to catch the start of professionalism and move straight into the Premiership winning squad at Newcastle Falcons. A move to Harlequins followed before I spent the majority of my playing career at Bath, where I retired from playing in 2011. During my time as a player, I was always focused on having a role away from the playing field and focused a lot of my time representing the Rugby Players Association as their Chairman, which in turn give me an invaluable insight into the running and administration of the game in England. The RFU Head of Discipline has a wide remit and is responsible for overseeing all on field discipline, citing in the top leagues and for investigating any breaches of RFU regulations. The Head of Discipline is the only person in regulation who can issue Can you tell us more about your role as Head of Discipline at the RFU? charges against any person or club.The RFU discipline team are directly responsible for the top 4 men’s leagues, the Allianz Premier XV’s and the BUCS Super Rugby competition. In a normal year, we would be responsible for presenting approximately 150 cases a year. the Discipline Department within the RFU.RAFT]

Summer 2021 - Rugby Blindside | 13

Governance

How does the RFU Disciplinary Department interact with community clubs in helping to maintain rugby’s core values?

Rugby prides itself on its core values of, Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship and we work closely with the CB discipline teams to ensure that these are upheld at all times. There are so many amazing people in the game who give up so much of their time to ensure others can enjoy our sport and thankfully instances of behaviour against the core values are low. However, as a game we all understand the importance of protecting these values and I would closely with the local discipline teams to proactively work with the game but also to act when we see behaviour that is not in line with our values. We have a renewed focus on ensuring that the match officials are given the appropriate respect at all levels of the game and support all the CB’s in issuing charges against players, coaches and spectators that abuse or disrespect any match official. Rugby is not alone in facing issues involving the use of social media and postings that are clearly not in line with the core-values. This will be a key focus for us over the next season and we will be educating first but then issuing charges against people whose postings fall short of what is expected.

Responsibility for discipline in the lower leagues is mostly delegated to the Constituent Bodies (CB’s) who see approximately 1500+ cases a year. We are responsible for ensuring that the many volunteers that give their time up to administer the game are As well as on-field incidents, the RFU Discipline appropriately trained and supported throughout the Department also looks at off-field cases in rugby. Can season. you tell us more about this area of game regulation? The RFU Discipline department are responsible for overseeing any breach of the RFU regulations and in a normal season that will include breaches related to player registrations, competitions and financial/ Payment of Player regulations. Within the RFU, the discipline team sits within the wider legal and governance team and we work closely on ensuring that all the regulations are complied with. Each season will present a unique set of regulatory cases for the RFU to deal with. These often the more complex issues we have to investigate and often involve the need for us to instruct specialist outside counsel. In the last season we have seen a number of misconduct cases for breaches of the COVID protocols, the cancellation of the England v Barbarians match being the highest profile example, which resulted in sanctions for a large number of players. During a normal season we would also expect to see a number of integrity cases involving breaches of the betting and anti-doping rules. Whilst a lot of work is done proactively educating the game on these issues, there are still a number of people who breach the regulations and receive significant bans as a result. Anyone who has spent time reading through the vast RFU regulatory handbook will be aware of the multitude of regulations that are in place to ensure the game continues to thrive, at all levels. It is essential that we ensure that these regulations, all put in place by the games representatives, the RFU Council, are consistently applied to each club, at every level.

involved in the game, addressing and discipline issues but most importantly, helping them understand the core values that we expect of all our players.[DRA

How does the disciplinary process differ for age-grade rugby compared with senior rugby?

The age-grade disciplinary process focuses on a child centric approach, in that people who know the player, often people within their own club, are responsible for administering the disciplinary process.

There is a specific age-grade sanction table that is typically less than the adult sanction process and is also measured in matches as opposed to weeks.

This ensures that players who play at schools and clubs are not unfairly punished for any offence.

Each CB is required to have an age-grade discipline secretary who has experience in dealing with age-grade players and is able to assist all clubs with any discipline issues.

For age-grade players there is a focus on keeping them

Doping is a continuous issue faced by the RFU Discipline Department. Can you tell us about the initiatives taken in tackling this issue?

The RFU’s mission is to protect the spirit of rugby from being undermined by doping and to protect a player’s fundamental right to participate in Clean Sport.

The RFU prioritises education and testing in the fight for Clean Sport, which involves initiatives such as outreach events, academy education days, online training and club seminars.

These initiatives have been specifically designed to deliver key education messages to the appropriate target groups.

Intelligence led testing takes place throughout the game and is coordinated through our close strategic partnerships with UK Anti-Doping and World Rugby.

How does the RFU Discipline Department uphold the RFU Safeguarding policy?

We have been fortunate to have been well supported by the TV companies who have ensured they could still get all the additional non-broadcast angles of any incidents and this in turn has ensured the process has continued to work without any decline in standards.

How has the coronavirus impacted the RFU Discipline Department?

Like all sports, Coronavirus has had a huge impact on Rugby. From a practical point of view, the discipline department has been responsible for ensuring that the health and wellbeing of the players is paramount during this period and this has meant that we have been responsible for overseeing the compliance of the COVID protocols within all clubs. This has involved instructing a newly formed team of people to visit clubs throughout this period and, working on an education first policy, help the clubs through this difficult period. The team have also had a role in the independent oversight of any contact tracing processes to ensure that all close contacts have been identified correctly. Coronavirus has also brought significant change to the discipline process. traditionally players, at both an RFU and CB level, would be required to attend discipline hearings in person. However, despite some initial reluctance, all hearings have been run on video calls. Video hearings allow greater flexibility for the players without compromising the process and this is something that will be continued moving forward. With the ground restrictions, the Citing Officers, have been unable to attend grounds and have also been working on a remote basis.

The team have also had a role in the independent Whilst the RFU Safeguarding and Discipline oversight of any contact tracing processes to ensure that departments operate independently, there is a co- all close contacts have been identified correctly. And finally, what are your future plans for the RFU Discipline Department? The Discipline department is no different to any RFU department in that we are accountable to our member clubs and are always looking at ways to improve what we do, collaborate with the clubs/ CB’s and challenge the way we currently do things. The last 18 months has allowed us to change many processes, virtual hearings and better use of technology being an obvious one. These changes will make huge efficiency gains and reduce volunteer workload. In terms of approach, I expect to see a slight change in approach, especially within the age-grade game to a more restorative practises approach to sanctioning. Whilst simple match bans have a place for certain offences, I am excited by the work coming out of NZ where a new approach to sanctioning is seeing positive impacts on the players and the club as a whole. We expect to trail this approach across certain areas this season. Like everyone else, I hope that the Coronavirus restrictions will be behind us next season and we can all look forward to some form of normality moving forward. Coronavirus has also brought significant change to the discipline process. traditionally players, at both an RFU and CB level, would be required to attend discipline hearings in person. However, despite some initial reluctance, all hearings have been run on video calls. Video hearings allow greater flexibility for the players without compromising the process and this is something that will be continued moving forward. With the ground restrictions, the Citing Officers, have been unable to attend grounds and have also been working on a remote basis. We have been fortunate to have been well supported by the TV companies who have ensured they could still get all the additional non-broadcast angles of any incidents and this in turn has ensured the process has continued to work without any decline in standards. ordinated approach to many of the issues that we face as a Sport. Often issues that we become aware of in the age-grade game involve aspects that involve Safeguarding and also discipline for regulatory breaches. We will always work together to ensure that the child is protected and that any regulatory or discipline issues that we become aware of during any investigation are addressed at the same time as any safeguarding concerns. The RFU Discipline department is also responsible for representing the RFU in an any appeal processes and ensuring that any safeguarding barring orders are strictly followed.RAFT]

Summer 2021 - Rugby Blindside | 15

At the outset of the 2021/22 season Farnham Rugby Club will open a purpose-built conditioning and rehab facility to its members. The facility features weights stations, rowing machines and exercise bikes plus loads of other gear including pushing sleds and battle ropes for use on the Astro surface that fronts the building. It will be staffed by a professional fitness coach and its use will be free to senior and junior squads for official training sessions and to players requiring rehab after injury. Members wishing to access the facility for their own personal use will pay a small uplift to their membership fee. Over 1000 people play rugby at Farnham RFC every week . The club has a massive Mini & Junior section; a huge Academy for those transitioning from Junior rugby to Senior rugby; a thriving O2 Touch section; a rapidly growing and very successful Women’s section; and regularly fields 5 senior men’s teams with the 1st XV playing in London 1 South. Facilities: Farnham Rugby Club Farnham Rugby Club goes from strength to strength Rugby Blindside recently spoke with Ali Boyd, Director of Player Wellbeing at Beckenham RFC. She told us about the various initiatives at the club to help with their players' mental health. [DRA

16 | Rugby Blindside - Summer 2021

RAFT]

during the original development of the site at Wilkinson Way. Jonny Adams (Vets Captain) built it aided and abetted by other skilled tradesmen from the club and working parties from senior and junior sides, male and female. The fitting out of the gym and its operational aspects was the remit of Steve Baird (Academy coach). Toby Comley (Club Captain) supplied the outside paving slabs from his eponymous reclaim business. People can watch TV as they push weights thanks to Rupert Mitchell (Vet) who supplied and rigged gear that was surplus to his AV business. Steve Ratcliffe (IT Sec) made sure of good WiFi connectivity. KBO Security supplied the fire and security measures including sophisticated automated access at cost in a contra deal to club sponsorship. Meg Parks (fully qualified fitness instructor, club SAC coach and Falcon player) will lead day-to-day operations at the gym. And at the back of the gym is the required storage capacity so changing Rooms 7 & 8 are back in business. This club effort built and equipped the Shed for substantially less than the cost quoted by a third party and will be an asset to the club for many years to come. The new facility meets the club’s charter to provide the best possible rugby experience for its members and will be an important factor in the recruitment and retention of players across all sections of the club. That the facility has been christened “the Shed” speaks volumes about its genesis. It was never meant to be. It just happened! In 2012, the club moved from its squalid and inadequate clubhouse and grounds to its current first-class facilities, on Wilkinson Way (named in honour the clubs greatest product Jonny Wilkinson). It was anticipated there would be an increase in membership as a result, but no-one anticipated the scale of that increase. Before long, one of the eight new changing rooms was crammed with all manner of training and playing paraphernalia. For a few seasons, this did not matter. Even on busy Sundays with multiple junior games, there was rarely a time when Changing Rooms 7 & 8 were called for. However, the scrum machines languished outside all year round and although the Club Management Committee regularly discussed building a storage shed, it was never a priority given the other calls on the club’s cash. The pressure for those changing rooms reached new levels in the 2017/18 season when the club seized upon the growing interest in women’s rugby. Driven by Abigail Jackson and Olly Cruickshank, the women and girls section exploded into life. The original clubhouse design designated changing rooms 7 & 8 for female use. The Women’s XV, dubbed The Falcons, were arranging regular fixtures and, unsurprisingly, wanted their changing rooms! A storage shed was now a priority. Initial research into planning permission uncovered the requirement for the building to be substantial and architecturally in keeping with the clubhouse and neighbouring David Lloyd Club. Drawings were commissioned and quotations sought for a building that would meet planning approval. The best price from a third party came in at around a quarter of a million pounds! The shed was once more on the back burner. But the need for the changing rooms did not go away and so the Committee got to thinking, “What if we turned to the membership of the club for the skills and the labour to build the shed? What if we made it more than a place to store tackle-bags and scrum machines? How can we get the place to pay for itself?” Facilities: Farnham Rugby Club [DRAFT A “Shed” team was convened under the leadership of John Wickens (chair of the Commercial Committee). The physical build was orchestrated by Jim O’Sullivan (Development Sec) who had represented the club A great story of what team effort can do, made ever more remarkable by the fact it has been achieved during the Covid19 Pandemic.

Community news

Rosslyn Park Slingbacks urge rugby community to help NHS

Samantha Emery is now club captain of the Rosslyn Park Slingbacks women’s rugby team, having started playing for the U16s at Lichfield. After more than 20 years loving rugby, she was putting together a package of tasty snacks for her local hospital NHS staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blackheath, when she realised: “Lots of front line workers belong to local rugby clubs and someone always knows someone in the rugby community. So we are well placed to help as a sport.

Why not, she thought, get the rugby community to donate care packages to NHS workers as they face such a challenging time?

“I saw posts online saying how appreciative ward staff are of snacks and treats turning up when they are struggling to find time to eat. I thought we could try and give back to raise their spirits. ” The Rosslyn Park Slingbacks’ initiative gained traction throughout the club as well as wider support. England’s Marlie Packer and Owen Farrell reposted their efforts and other clubs got in touch. There were also shout outs on TalkSPORT, BBC London and major rugby podcasts.

“Helping the NHS is the primary goal, but we have all been missing rugby so much, that it’s also a fantastic way to help rekindle the rugby family spirit, ” said Samantha.

“The hashtag #rugby4nhs can be used when sharing posts of donations and tagging the sending team and where it went. “The hashtag and launch post is live on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and gives guidance on how to approach helping.

It’s for teams to decide which hospital and area to support and while Covid wards, ITU and A&E are heavily hit by the pandemic, other wards are struggling, and staff like porters can get overlooked. Individuals may also have personal reasons for where to help or club members or their family members may be working for the NHS.

A month into the campaign and clubs had joined the #Rugby4NHS squad from Kent to Yorkshire and by month two they hit Dundee. Samantha said: “Each team has made it their own, Ashford RUFC organised a covid-safe donation drop off day at the clubhouse, Prenton RUFC pulled together care packages by raising over £600 in a few days on a donation site” .

Other clubs signing up included Preston Grasshoppers girls, Stamford ladies, Barnes, Scarborough Valkyries and Thamesians, as well as touch and sevens teams such as London CSSC and Barnes Bears. Where teams are already supporting the NHS support, Sam says using #Rugby4NHS will help to showcase the work of the rugby community as a whole.

"Dozens of hospitals and their staff are being supported and the reception has been fantastic. Hospitals and their staff have directly responded and online groups like wecare4nhs, charities and Wooden Spoon have shared the work, " said Samantha. “It’s been hugely rewarding to see that we are making a tangible difference - it really shows the power acts of kindness have, for those giving as well as those receiving.

“Of course, it’s essential to follow all Government guidelines and to check in advance what help your hospital would welcome and how to deliver it. While some accept direct delivery, others are coordinating via councils and we’ve even found one hospital with an Amazon wishlist set up. ” Recognising that some people may find it easier to donate, they’ve set up a donation page. For every £100 raised, they’ll work across the rugby family to get a care package to another region. #Rugby4NHS is encouraging Game Day Giving during the Six Nations, for teams to post that they are joining the campaign or to donate.

Newton Abbott RFC #OneCommunity project

Will Smith of Complete Estate & Letting Agents donated £1000 to the Newton Abbott RFC's Community Project - End Child Food Poverty. Before the Christmas period, Newton Abbot Rugby Club provided 75+ Christmas hampers to families who meet the correct criteria.

Newton Abbot Rugby Club is close to Will's heart and in his own words, he says, "The Club (NARFC) saved me and gave me the confidence and a lot of the skills I have today, which has enabled me to get to where I am. When I have been in a dark place the club and the true friends I have made there have helped me to a better place.

He continued,

"If Complete and myself can help some families it would give us great pleasure; the current climate is making it harder for some less fortunate families and If I'm lucky enough to be in a position to help I will where I can.

Will has been a huge part of Newton Abbot Rugby Club for many years and they are hugely grateful for his generosity.

Following the launch of this local initiative, the Club received a personal "thank you" from Marcus Rashford, who has been leading the campaign to Feed Britain's Children. His letter stated: "I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the incredible role you have played in protecting the most vulnerable children within your local community in recent months. The empathy and compassion you have shown has shone a really positive light on 2020 and has demonstrated the true power of togetherness.

I understand 2020 has been a difficult year for business and the fact you were willing to run at an even greater loss to protect our children when the Government rejected holiday provision left me overwhelmed with pride, and truly thankful.

Chinnor Kites get active for charity

The Kites have proved to be a real inspiration this month, with plenty of positive messages, thousands of km in their legs and hundreds of pounds going to charity. raising money for mental health sports charity, Sport in Mind, by taking part in RED January.

The aim is to get active every day, with RED January a movement aimed at helping people support their mental wellbeing through exercise. The Kites have been doing just that, all within the government guidelines of course.

They have logged more than 2,000km to help them sit near the top of the Chinnor Challenge leaderboard, as well as raising more than £580 for Sport in Mind.

Head Coach, Fran Ronan is keen to raise awareness of the benefits that exercise can have on our mental health.

She said:

“RED January is just about encouraging people to take part in everyday physical activity, whether it’s yoga, walking, running, cycling, anything that they are doing, even riding a scooter.

“It’s set up alongside Sport In Mind which is a charity running alongside the NHS and they deliver physical activity programmes for those struggling with mental health.

“It’s been about raising awareness and to encourage people to get up and active, and actually to do something that’s really going to benefit their mental health as well as helping other people too.

Stourbridge Rugby deliver food parcels to local school

Working with Ridgewood High School, the club’s Community Department - which is run and operated by Community Group - delivered free school meals to 70 households. Head of Community, Chad Thorne, Stourbridge Rugby’s Head of Marketing, Louise Price and volunteers Michelle Wood and Joe Wood dropped off the food parcels to ensure children who are learning from home receive the adequate nutrition they require.

Stourbridge Rugby’s Head of Community, Chad Thorne said: “We want to support the community during this challenging time and we have offered our help to schools in the local area. As a club, there’s always different ways we can help the community and we hope the families benefitted from the food parcels which were delivered.

Facilities: Anselmians Rugby Club

Mental Health & Psychology for the Rugby League Player in 2021

Fill Your Boots Rugby recently conducted a survey with their audience in the grassroots rugby community amid playing uncertainty to investigate the appetite for the return to play in a post-COVID world.

The club's ten-year project to improve its player and community facilities has been completed following a major funding deal. COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions delayed improvements to Eastham-based Anselmians RUFC's work on a high-end event space and community hub.

West Kirby-based Bathgate Business Finance specialist secured the £100,000 funding needed to complete the project.

The club is preparing to open its clubhouse Eastham Pavilion to guests and the local community from next Monday, when planned easing of COVID-19 restrictions will permit tables of six to dine indoors.

The new facilities will be home to Wirral Community Hub, where Wirral Youth Services will be providing children and young people with activities, while the club will also be providing young people with more opportunities to get into the game.

Once fully open, the hospitality facilities will generate new jobs for the area, employing 15 people on a parttime basis initially, with ambitions to grow its staff base in line with demand.

The project started in 2011, in a bid to create new facilities that would support the local community in Eastham and the wider Wirral area, and drive revenue to support the club’s survival in the face of declining participant numbers.

The project was expected to complete in spring 2020,

but increased costs to ensure the quality of the build and disruption due to the pandemic meant that additional funding was required to complete the project to its high specification and in time for when restrictions were fully eased in June.

Despite having a solid business case, the club was frustrated to find it was not able to secure funding from its own bank or usual lenders, who were focused on securing CBILS loans and nervous about investing in a hospitality-focused project.

It turned to Bathgate Business Finance - a club sponsor since 2018 - following a recommendation by Richard Burnett, from club Solicitors Hillyer McKeown. Bathgate property finance expert, Ben Humphreys, quickly identified a funder that understood new developments and specialised in community led projects and brokered the deal, ensuring that the club was offered a flexible repayment structure and competitive interest rates.

Jim McKenzie, executive director at Anselmians RUFC said: "In order to exceed the expectations of our members, we always knew that some short funding would be needed, so it was extremely frustrating to find that we couldn’t secure finance through our usual routes.

"Bathgate stepped in and Ben was enormously supportive of the project from the start. "We were pleasantly surprised by Bathgate’s portfolio of non-standard lenders; we found the whole team extremely easy to deal with and Ben was extremely effective in brokering the relationship between ourselves and the lender. "We launched this project in 2011 with the build itself starting two years ago, so it’s been a long road.

"There’s a lot of excitement around the launch as people have been watching the project progress with great interest and we are already fully booked up for events until next spring.

"We now can’t wait to start operating and welcome our guests. We'll be opening the doors of Eastham Pavilion to members on May 17, with many more private, public and community events to follow over the summer.

Ben Humphreys from Bathgate Business Finance said: "It’s been great to be able to help get this project over the line.

"The new buildings look fantastic, they’re providing world-class facilities for the local community and the club is also bringing new jobs to the area.

"We're happy to hear that there is already a raft of events booked for 2021 and beyond, including business networking events that we’re looking forward to supporting, and we wish the club all the best for its upcoming launch events.

Richard Burnett from Hillyer McKeown Solicitors said: "We have been involved in this project from the start, acting for the club on the redevelopment scheme and the sale of land for residential development.

"This funding feels like the final piece of the jigsaw, leaving a community legacy we are all very proud of.