Spoonews Autumn/Winter 2022

Helping young people facing exclusion

fresh start

THE PERFECT match

Wooden Spoon’s Partner Club Programme supports your rugby club in your fundraising and also to raise additional funds to support local Wooden Spoon projects helping vulnerable children. Your members and supporters will see the results of their fundraising efforts locally.

strength in numbers

We are living in uncertain times, the costof-living crisis affects us all. It’s against that backdrop we say a special thank you to all our volunteers and teams, who are pulling out all the stops and demonstrating the extraordinary unity of the rugby community. It’s also a turbulent time for rugby, with player health concerns and rugby clubs struggling to make ends meet. But look inside the pages of Spoonews and you can see so many examples of the rugby community coming together and giving something back.

I’m so grateful for all those wonderful experiences we’ve shared, both as rugby players and supporters. In particular, Vets Fest, p18, where we commemorated the lives of Olly Stephens and Maddy Lawrence, who sadly lost their lives too soon.

The event, attended by HRH The Princess Royal, raised an astonishing £80,000, showing again the strength of what we are, and what we can achieve together in rugby and friendship. A big thank you to Gallagher, who supported the event, and to O’Neils, who provided our kits.

We were also thrilled to hold our annual conference – it’s so good to see our regional volunteers, pictured above, and share ideas for our goal of helping children and young people living with disability or disadvantage. The positive power of rugby was in play at the Inclusive Tag Rugby festival in Venice, p7. This event raised awareness of disability rugby in Italy, and gave the young players a chance to travel, meet new friends and grow in confidence.

The Road to Twickenham Bike Ride, p22, was an amazing success, not only was over £50,000 raised, but the support, encouragement, and camaraderie along the way, spoke volumes about all involved. A huge thank you to Gallagher for organising this 750-mile event.

Next year is our 40th anniversary, and there will be so many exciting activities to get involved with, including our epic Ruby Rugby Ball. Keep a look out for details!

Sarah Webb, CEO

The Wooden Spoon team and regional volunteers gather together for the annual conference

venice host tag fest

Five English and five Italian teams met for the Inclusive Rugby Tag Festival 2022, at the Mirano Rugby Club, Venice, Italy.

The festival kicked-off with an Olympic-style opening ceremony, where our mascot Spoony made an appearance.

For ten years, Wooden Spoon has helped fund the International Disability Tag Rugby festival. It has been held all over the UK and Ireland, giving youngsters with disabilities an opportunity to face challenges positively.

With the emergence of The Mirano Dragons, a new Italian team, and willing Italian volunteers, this year the event was held in Venice – with over 100 children and young people taking part.

Wooden Spoon National Rugby & Communities

Manager, Matt Mitchell, said: “It was really joyful and heart-warming. The event was focused on building connections between children with different abilities who typically struggle with communication. They flourish when rugby is involved.

“Wooden Spoon is proud to support programmes like this across the UK and Ireland, and we were delighted to be involved in this event, which is helping to grow awareness of disability rugby in Italy.”

Wooden Sppon would like to say a huge thank you for the hospitality shown to us from the Mirano Dragons and Jeremy Bristoe, the main organiser and whose brainchild the festival was.

Mirano Rugby President Stefano Cibin with Sarah Webb and Matt Mitchell

A fresh start

Project Turnover works with young people who have been excluded from school or have broken the law. The aim is to break the circuit of exclusion or crime.

The results are impressive – 96% see an improvement in mental and physical health, 85% have returned to school and 92% have not reoffended.

This is just one of the projects funded by the Braverman family and friends who raised funds for Wooden Spoon in memory of Adam, who sadly passed away suddenly in 2017, at just 29. Adam’s family would like his legacy to continue through helping children from all walks of life.

Project Turnover uses rugby to build confidence, trust, and teamwork, and then helps the youngsters with their reintegration into school or the workplace.

Elliot, 15, has special needs, autism, ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, and OCD. He finds school challenging and was recomended by his school for the scheme.

Mum, Jo, tells us how Project Turnover has helped her son Elliot: “They have supported my son so much, they’ve gone that extra mile for him.

“The difference Project Turnover has made to his attitude is massive. It’s all because of them, they’ve been a big part of his life.

“They do boxing and rugby. In the summer they had a music and lyrics workshop, so they made their own music. There is a variety of everything there.

“At home, he’s opened up a lot, matured. Elliot does workshops there – about crime, knives, and there’s one about ‘no shame in talking’, he’s been really engaged with that.

“Elliot worked for the scheme for six weeks over the summer holiday. They gave him a bit of responsibility; he loved it so much.

“Elliot plays rugby, he may even go to Amsterdam, where Project Turnover originated, and play Rugby 7s. They’ve given him so many opportunities.”

“The difference Project Turnover has made to his attitude is massive, it’s all because of them, they’ve been a big part of his life.”

Elliot’s mum, Jo

Project Turnover in action on the rugby pitch

Support & nurture

Larne YMCA has ambitious plans to support youngsters in the area, but needed more space for all the activities it provides.

Thanks to a £10,000 grant from Wooden Spoon Ulster, and funding from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s community fund, YMCA Larne has a new chill out room.

YMCA Operations Director, Dean Nutt, said: “The new space will give us the opportunity to expand our provision for young people across the area. It will be vital to meeting our aims of promoting youth development, healthy living and community engagement. The room will be known as the Wooden Spoon Chill Out Room.”

Sessions run six days a week and the autism support group runs for four days a week. Over the course of a week, more than 250 children and youngsters visit, aged between 7-25.

Leanne Doherty, who works at YMCA Larne, said: “More of the children here are either on the spectrum or have autism or ADHD. The new unit is a quiet space for us to run sensory activities with smaller groups.

“There is such a need in this area, and it’s affordable. There is space to play, and with the new mobile unit funded by Wooden Spoon, there is now space to feel calm.

Emotional regulation is so important. The kids all want to go there to do their homework because they can concentrate.

Jayden, 15, is a regular at the club: “It’s a safe and welcoming environment which helps me to be myself and brings me out of my shell. It’s a place to meet up with friends outside of school, have fun and play sports.

“The new chill out rooms are great, as sometimes the main building can become very noisy and it’s hard to focus when leading or taking part in group work, but the chill out room has made this easier.”

“It’s a safe and welcoming environment which helps me to be myself and brings me out of my shell.”

Jayden

The children love using the new Wooden Spoon Chill Out Room at Larne YMCA

The new mobile unit for the chill out room arriving at Larne YMCA, Northern Island

The mosaic logo for Larne YMCA

Building an ec0-bothy

There was a party atmosphere as former Scottish rugby union player Gavin Hastings OBE officially opened the Eco-Bothy in South-East Edinburgh, which was designed and built by the local community.

Wooden Spoon Edinburgh contributed a £30,000 grant towards the eco-friendly outdoor education and play facility, where youth work partners will support young people facing disadvantage.

Volunteer, Will Golding, said: “Over 80 volunteers learned traditional, sustainable skills to build our Eco-Bothy at Bridgend Farmhouse.

“It is a place to learn about eco-friendly buildings and

how to live sustainably, a place for children to safely explore and develop, and for children and families to meet. We are extremely grateful to Wooden Spoon. This will have a long-lasting impact for our community”

One of the parents said: “The playspace is very imaginative, watching kids play at the launch event was magic, so many different and sensory aspects, very different from traditional playgrounds.

“The Bothy is so beautiful, I wanted to stroke the walls. It has a very calm and comforting feel to it which will offer a place for people to feel part of something that has history and a future.”

Volunteer,

“It is a place to learn about eco-friendly buildings and to live sustainably, a place for children to safely explore and develop.”

Will Golding

space for everyone

It was a proud day for Wooden Spoon Aberdeen as former Scotland International Rugby Union Player, Ruaridh Jackson, cut the ribbon to officially open the inclusive play park for SensationALL.

SensationALL is a charity, based in Westhill School near Aberdeen, providing therapeutic activities and specialist support for individuals with multiple support needs (MSN). Its vision is to create a place to belong, feel safe and supported.

Wooden Spoon Aberdeen Chair, Norman Fiddes, said: “The financial support from

the fundraising dinners in Aberdeen gave SensationALL the opportunity to create a fantastic play area – it is great to see the happiness spreading.”

The all-inclusive play park, suitable for youngsters of all abilities, has been a huge achievement and was only possible thanks to funding from Wooden Spoon Aberdeen and local companies, alongside the volunteers who painted fences and benches to make it look colourful and bright.

Charity manager from SensationALL, Katie McNutt, said: “We are so grateful to everyone who contributed. We know this fantastic facility will be enjoyed by both our families and the local community for many years to come.”

“We know this fantastic facility will be enjoyed by both our families and the local community for many years to come.”

Katie McNutt

Official opening: Ruaridh Jackson and Wooden Spoon’s Norman Fiddes

SensationALL’s new inclusive playground is a big hit

new signing for legend Shane

Over 200 children from three schools gathered to celebrate the opening of the new MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area) at Oak Field Primary School in Barry, funded by a £15,000 grant from Wooden Spoon Wales. Pupils from Oak Field, Ysgol Gwaun y Nant and Cadoxton greeted guests with Welsh songs and former Wales international Shane Williams joined in with a game of tag rugby.

Shane, who won 87 caps for Wales and scored a record 58 tries, signed loads of autographs on paper, arms, legs and school shirts.

Deputy Head, Kelly, said: “The children’s relationships are stronger from playing games together and having so many different sports going on. It’s not just football anymore.

“In the winter our grass field is out of bounds because it’s a swamp, but with the MUGA we have space all year round.

“Enrichment has increased because the children have lots more options. All our children can now begin the day with Active Start to get them ready for learning.”

“The new space is all bright colours and a soft surface, astro turf, so if you fall over, it doesn’t hurt so much.” Zeyna

One of the pupils, Zeyna, tells us how it has changed breaktimes for her: “The new space is all bright colours and a soft surface, astro turf, so if you fall over, it doesn’t hurt so much.”

The MUGA is used for afterschool clubs, as well as break times and lunchtimes, enabling them to play any sport or game in the space.

Another pupil, Harrison, explained: “We can play basketball, football, hockey, rugby, netball, tennis and playground games. My favourite part of the day is play time in the MUGA. Fish and chips is our favourite game and I like dizzy dinos – you spin around!”

Zeyna said: “We look forward to coming to school more, and after we’ve run about, we’ve got our energy back for learning in the classroom.”

Shane Williams signs autographs on paper, arms, legs and school shirts!

Riding high

Wooden Spoon Essex provided a £2,700 grant for a new pony at REACH, in Brentwood, to provide specialist physiotherapy.

REACH (Rehabilitation, Education and Assessment Centre for Hippotherapy) uses horses to deliver treatment programmes for adults and children with physical, mental, social and learning disabilities.

Hippotherapy uses the threedimensional movement of horses in walk to correct and improve movement, balance and core strength.

The therapy benefits cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, brain and spinal cord injuries and other movement disorders.

Ten-year-old Eleanor has microcephaly, profound and multiple learning disabilities, and is non-mobile.

Eleanor’s mum, Jane, explains how the new horse, Sally, is helping her: “By working her muscles and core balance, along with being more engaged with her

surroundings, makes Eleanor less tactile-defensive and she is making more purposeful sounds.

“Eleanor has been coming to REACH since the summer of 2018 for hippotherapy. Sally

“By working her muscles and core balance, along with being more engaged with her surroundings, makes Eleanor less tactiledefensive and she is making more purposeful sounds.” Eleanor’s mum, Jane

is the latest horse Eleanor has been matched with and they are working very well together.

“Sally is such a calm horse, she stands really well at the ramp, from which Eleanor mounts her – the previous horse hated the ramp, making it difficult to mount!

“While Sally’s movement is consistent, it still provides enough of a challenge to work Eleanor’s core muscles and balance.”

Eleanor loves riding Sally, the lastest pony to join the REACH project, thanks to a £2,700 grant from Wooden Spoon Essex

Driving Force

Thanks to a £35,000 grant Hexham Priory School, West Northumberland, can now take its pupils out in a new dedicated minibus. The grant, funded by Wooden Spoon Northumberland, the Stay Strong Stu foundation and the Friends of Hexham Priory School (FOHPS), went to the special school which caters for youngsters aged from two to 19 with severe, profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Gardening glory

From conception to completion this project might be one of the longest in Wooden Spoon history. Little Gate Farm in Beckley, East Sussex had to wait nearly five years for its garden pavilion.

The pavilion was made possible by a £15,000 grant from Wooden Spoon Sussex. The farm supports young adults with autism and learning disabilities into paid employment and has an impressive rate of success. The project was founded in 2013 by Claire Cordell and has placed apprentices in hospitality, catering, housekeeping, building maintenance, office administration,

Head teacher, Liz Davison, said: “We aim to provide a rich and diverse curriculum for our pupils and having an additional minibus means we can offer so much more than school buildings alone can provide.

“We can go off-site for essential therapies and activities, such as swimming and riding, that enrich our curriculum and to help the students with their independence, with their work experience and their residentials.

animal care, horticulture and woodland management. Trainees attend the farm two or three days per week, building confidence and interpersonal skills, while working closely with the job coaches.

© Peter Knight

The garden at Little Gate Farm

“The minibus really is vital for the work we do. This very generous donation will further support that access and have a huge positive impact across the school.

“We are hugely grateful to Wooden Spoon and the Stay Strong Stu foundation for their generous donation of a brand-new minibus for our school. We also send a special thank you to the Friends of Hexham Priory School (FOHPS), not only for fundraising, but all the

The Stay Strong Stu foundation is in memory of Tynedale RFC player Stu Ridley, who died from an inoperable brain tumour in 2015.

tranquil retreat

Wooden Spoon Kent provided a grant of £5,000 towards The Hut at St Eanswythes Primary School, in Folkestone.

The Kent committee had a warm welcome to officially open the Wooden Spoon Hut, which will provide a quiet, private therapeutic space for children at the school.

On show were some Wooden Spoons, specially decorated by the school children.

© Ian Smith

Wooden Spoon Kent open The Hut

Main picture: Head teacher Liz Davison and pupils at Hexham Priory School celebrate their new minibus with Dawn Thewlis and Celia Ridley, Stu Ridley’s mother

hard work behind the scenes to secure the grant for the minibus.”

Above: Isabella with the keys to the new minibus

Left: Wooden Spoon Northumberland President Francis Watson-Armstrong hands the keys to TV presenter Dawn Thewlis

waves of Happiness

The Van Morrison lyrics ‘smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly,’ capture the essence of The Wave Project, which uses surf therapy to support youngsters experiencing anxiety, depression, disability, family breakdown or bullying.

Wooden Spoon Dorset, Wiltshire & Hampshire provided a £6,000 grant to the project, which enhances confidence, reduces isolation, increases well-being, and challenges young people to build resilience.

Alice, 14, was referred by her school for a sixweek course in Boscombe, Dorset. She loved it so much, she became a volunteer.

Alice’s mum Laura said: “Alice is a young carer, her dad has mental health issues and epilepsy. At this age, she really feels the responsibility. There’s all the usual teenage stuff, but this throws in a bit more. “Alice’s confidence has grown, it’s a very nurturing project. From day one they made her feel she belonged. We’re really grateful for it.”

Alice said: “We surf, bodyboard, swim, or paddleboard if the waves aren’t very big.

We paddleboard to the buoy – once, there were jellyfish out there, the kids were going crazy about them!

“All the volunteers give you applause when you catch a wave or get close to catching one. If people aren’t confident, they always say well done just for getting in the water.

“As soon as I’m at the beach, that catharsis of hearing the waves and having your feet in the sand, it’s like no other feeling. I always refer to the beach as my happy place. It’s probably the only place I just feel pure happiness, with no worries or anxiety.

“Each week I’m counting down the days, and once I’ve done it, the serotonin stays with me, it seems to carry me on through school.”

“...hearing the waves and having your feet in the sand, it’s like no other feeling. I always refer to the beach as my happy place.” Alice

muddy marvellous!

It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into the messiest fun possible at the Mud Kitchen in St Paul’s Adventure Playground. The risks of air pollution in this area of Bristol are high, and this APE Project, to which Wooden Spoon Bristol, Bath & Somerset provided a grant of £1,500 towards, aims to create a healthier green space for youngsters and their families.

The children benefit from sensory and imaginative play in this creative and exploratory space. The youngsters have already helped with planting and watering a new orchard, vegetable site, sensory space and herb garden.

Director at APE Project CiC, Guy Dobson, said: “Strawberries, raspberries, spinach, chard and mushrooms now grow on the allotment site.

“We’ve also been monitoring and sending data back to Knowle West Media Centre regarding our air quality reading from the sensor they installed last year, crucial due to our location by the M32.”

The Mud Kitchen was developed and designed by the children to give them a sense of ownership and to further develop their skills and experiences. Mud Kitchens are more than just the chance to explore mud, get messy and have fun, they also provide a whole variety of learning experiences.

“Strawberries, raspberries, spinach, chard and mushrooms now grow on the allotment site.”

Guy Dobson

The Mud Kitchen in Bristol provides a creative and sensory play area

competitive spirits

Over 700 players gathered at Moseley Rugby Club for Vets Fest 22, to play rugby, party until the early hours and raise an incredible £80,000 for Wooden Spoon. We were honoured our Patron, HRH, The Princess Royal came and met some of the players. The men’s and women’s teams played hard for the triumph of winning the Olly Stephens and Maddy Lawrence Memorial Cups respectively, to commemorate the lives of two young rugby players.

Olly, a happy teenager, was killed in a horrific knife attack. Maddy tragically lost

her life after developing sepsis in hospital, following an injury at a game.

Kent raised The Olly Stephens Memorial Cup, Wales won the Maddy Lawrence Memorial Cup, and mental health charity Brave Mind battled with Wooden Spoon in a charity partners game.

This year, the focus was on supporting mental health projects – currently there are 374,000 children waiting for NHS mental health services.*

Wooden Spoon CEO, Sarah Webb, said: “To be here, in memory of Olly and Maddy, is a real honour for us.”

Olly Stephens

HRH The Princess Royal

* The NHS Confederation report

Maddy’s Mark

The Maddy Lawrence Memorial Cup is dedicated to Maddy, a vibrant 20-yearold, who loved sport and started her rugby career at university, playing for UWE. Her father, Simon Lawrence, tells us about the charity he set up in her memory: “Maddy believed passionately in the values of teamwork, mutual support and fellowship. We are determined to follow Maddy’s example of hope and perseverance with Maddy’s Mark, to ensure her life continues to encourage others to be kind, bold and to bring love.”

The charity aims to promote mental wellbeing through sport, and build young

women’s confidence, selfimage and self-belief through the values of the rugby community.

The whole family is involved in the fundraising; Maddy’s aunt, Janine Gillard, and her fiancé, have just completed a 2,000-mile cycle ride to the Parthenon raising funds for Maddy’s Mark. Read about their challenge at petersfieldto-the-parthenon.com

Email: maddysmark@gmail.com for more information, or visit: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/janine-gillard

Vets Fest 22: Over 700 players met at Moseley Rugby Club, Birmingham

Maddy Lawrence

leading the way

Gill Burns MBE has a long list of credits to her name; ex England Captain and winner of the World Cup in 1994, ex-President of the RFUW and ambassador of Wooden Spoon. Spoonews asked Gill about her role in paving the way for women’s rugby today: “I’m honoured to be one of the so-called pioneers. We started in the mid-eighties – at the time we weren’t aware that we were being pioneers. We were simply playing rugby as it’s the best game in the world. If nobody organised it for us, it wasn’t going to happen. “Now more than ever the Women’s Rugby World Cup has the power to inspire children due to the visibility of the tournament. I’ve been in New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup this year, and it’s been amazing seeing children inspired by the players, finally seeing women play and accepting it as normal.

“When the Lionesses won the Euros this year, we saw children inspired and taking up the sport. We’d love to see the Red Roses in the World Cup have the same impact.

“Next year’s Women’s Six Nations is sponsored by TikTok, and the Red Roses are going to be playing France at Twickenham

Stadium in April – a brilliant opportunity for children to see a game at an iconic stadium.

“Women’s rugby didn’t receive lottery funding until late in my career. Up to that point, we relied on the voluntary support of coaches and medical staff.

“Today, female rugby players have access to the best level of support including coaches, physios, sports therapists, recovery tools, nutrition and more. Consequently, players are performing better, which inspires more people to play. This is a really exciting time for women’s rugby.”

Gill is also passionate about her role as Wooden Spoon Ambassador: “I have been involved in the charity since the mid-90s when I was England captain, and I absolutely love it. The work they are doing is incredible, and I’m honoured to play a small part in helping them to achieve their goals.

“I love getting involved in whatever way I can. Most recently, I played at Vets Fest – a tournament of male and female seasoned rugby players coming together to raise funds for vulnerable children and young people across the UK.”

Gill Burns MBE in her Vets Fest rugby top

Gill Burns represented England over 70 times during her stellar international career

Marauders 7s

The Wooden Spoon Marauders women came out firing this season, winning their warm-up tournament at East Grinstead 7s in April. The first round of the Super 7s Series followed in Newbury, where the team made it to the plate semi-finals before being narrowly beaten by a strong Bath side.

The team ventured to Costa Blanca in Spain, winning against Andorra and Viator 7s, but falling short to Poland and Czech Republic, coming away as runners up.

In the second round of the Super 7s Series, at London Irish Rugby Club, the Marauders drew with a strong Scimitar Storm team in the semi-final before extra time, where Scimitar grabbed the first points to win the game.

Bournemouth 7s saw the Marauders claim a comprehensive win against Hove, before narrowly losing to a strong UK Armed Forces team in the group stages 10-12.

The women progressed to the quarterfinals where they faced tournament winners Hammerheads, and narrowly missed out on a spot in the semi-finals.

The last round of the Super Series was hosted at Aldershot Military Stadium, where the women beat Hong Kong in the group stages to reach the playoff stages. Another close game against Scimitar saw the team fall short of a place in the finals, with an unlucky spell of injuries leaving the team with eight players.

© Danté K Photography

THE PREMIER Road HOME

Road to Twickenham

It was a bold undertaking. Over eight days, a core group of rugby legends cycled the Gallagher trophy more than 750 miles, from Newcastle Falcons to Twickenham Stadium, in time for the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final.

On route, the riders stopped at each Premiership Rugby Club to meet a group of day riders, who kept their spirits high for each leg of the journey. The riders were blessed with glorious weather during the challenge as they tackled strenuous hill climbs and passed iconic landmarks.

Supporters cheered them on as the riders reached their destination and delivered the trophy into the Twickenham Stadium.

A huge thank you to Gallagher who organised the Road to Twickenham

Former Bath and England international rugby player Lee Mears shares his thoughts on the The Road to Twickenham:

“Anything that involves Wooden Spoon deserves my support as the charity stands for everything that I stand for. I have done lots of events for the charity in the past and it is always a great chance to meet up with old friends and raise money for a fantastic cause.

“When I heard about the cycle ride and thought about the chance to have a laugh while stopping at various Premiership grounds, it was an easy decision to join in.”

The

750-mile charity cycle challenge saw hundreds of cyclists unite to raise funds for Wooden Spoon and Premiership Rugby Club Foundations

new heights for IronMan

Andy Bishop set his sights high when taking on the Swiss Ironman to raise funds for Wooden Spoon. To complete the mega event in the Alps, Andy swam 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles, before finally crossing the finish line.

Andy said: “I chose Wooden Spoon as rugby has played such a huge part in my

life, it taught me so many skills such as teamwork and resilience, which have served me well.

“Wooden Spoon do such amazing work allowing individuals to live life to the fullest and bring opportunities to so many. Sport is the best way to celebrate differences and rugby is the ultimate manifestation of that.”

U9s ’ Pen y Fan climb

The U9s from Burry Port RFC raised just shy of £550 for Wooden Spoon Wales with their challenging Pen y Fan climb. An incredible effort and achievement from all the young players and coaches.

BREATHTAKING ROUND TRIP

Bill Squires and Steve Coleman took on the London Edinburgh London cycle ride for Wooden Spoon and raised nearly £8,000.

This incredible round-trip challenge involved cycling 946 miles and climbing 44,000 ft, all in 125 hours.

Bill said: “Steve and I are regular cyclists, doing 50 miles most weekends, but certainly not your typical

cyclists, we’re built like Shire horses not whippets! It seemed like a massive endeavour, and it was.

“Coming to terms with the size of the task was a big challenge. The planning, breaking it down into chunks, certainly helped.”

“As members, Wooden Spoon was an obvious choice, we love the difference that the projects make.”

Bill & Steve gear up for 946-mile ride

Burry U9s celebrate their Pen y Fan climb

Andy at the finish line in the Alps

TO paris with love

Rugby final channel trip

Two rugby fans took on an 850-mile cycle ride to carry the matchball to this year’s Heineken Champions Cup Final in France. Ben Martyn and Dan Turnock, both from Crowborough, cycled more than 120 miles a day, from Twickenham to Marseille, raising over £6,000 for Wooden Spoon.

well done TO OUR AMAZING 2022 LONDON MARATHON RUNNERS

Eleven amazing Wooden Spoon runners took part in the TCS London Marathon this September. The sun was shining as our runners joined more than 40,000 people to run through the streets of the capital to complete their demanding 26.2-mile journey.

Wooden Spoon CEO, Sarah Webb, said: “We cannot thank them enough for taking on such a huge challenge in support of Wooden Spoon. The funds raised will go towards supporting vulnerable children and young people across the UK and Ireland.”

Ben and Dan celebrate with Spoony

Andy reaches his goal

Emma Brown

Nigel Shaw

James Hobson

Mark Reay

We would like also to thank our other runners: Christopher Yannaghas, Paul Hurley, Trevor Hoyle, Phill Day, Rachael Hucker and Daniel Burke

Dan Vines

Andrew Winders rode from London to Paris, a challenging 300-mile cycle ride, raising over £3,000 for Wooden Spoon in memory of his dad John Winders.

ACROSS THE REGIONS

PEN Y FAN extreme SAS TESt

More than 30 brave supporters took part in a formidable 24km SAS selection test march on the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons, Pen y Fan, raising £12,000 for Wooden Spoon Bristol, Bath and Somerset. The world’s oldest Special Forces test challenged the teams to the absolute limit – a huge thank you to all who took part, every penny raised will support vulnerable children in the local area.

blackpool golf

Nineteen teams teed off in the Wooden Spoon Lancashire Golf Day at Blackpool North Shore Golf Club, raising over £4,000.

dinner for George

The St George’s Day dinner raised a stunning £15,600 for Wooden Spoon Leicestershire. A massive thank you to all the sponsors.

fAT BLOKES WEIGH IN THOUSANDS OF POUNDS

in full swing

Wooden Spoon Devon held a hugely successful golf day –20 teams raised over £2,000.

The annual Fat Blokes 7s provides an amazing social experience for hundreds of male and female players, and their supporters, while raising thousands of pounds for charities and good causes.

Wooden Spoon Chilterns Chair, Chris Henkey, said: “Thanks to all involved in making this a truly wonderful event and allowing us to be beneficiaries.”

ACROSS THE REGIONS

in memory of mike

The Mike Slemen Memorial day was held in tribute to Wooden Spoon Merseyside President, and the England and British & Irish Lions legend, Mike Slemen.

Mike’s wife, Eileen and family watched on as LSH won the inaugural fixture and their captain, Phil Cairns, received the trophy from RFU President Nigel Gillingham, pictured left. The special event raised £4,000.

thanks to BOb & CArol

Bob and Carol, at the Horse and Groom, Westbury, held a Calcutta Cup Dinner and Raffle, raising a whopping £1,805 for Wooden Spoon Dorset, Wiltshire & Hampshire.

bunkers galore!

Wooden Spoon Kent held a golf day for 18 teams, playing a tricky, bunker-filled course. Thanks to everyone involved in the day, which raised was just over £8,000.

Fylde: rugby for all

With a £1,200 grant from Wooden Spoon Lancashire, The Fylde Rugby Community Foundation delivered a rugby tournament open to all children, whatever their background. Nine schools took part, and 100 children, with moderate and severe learning disabilities, all enjoyed the fun of tag rugby.

ACROSS THE REGIONS

strong teams JUMBO EFFORT

Well done to everyone who took part in the Dorset Plane Pull for Wooden Spoon Dorset, Wiltshire & Hampshire.

All the challengers, including Wooden Spoon Essex, flexed their muscles to pull the Boeing 737 – even Spoony got involved!

solid support chipper day out

One hundred golfers enjoyed the challenge of playing at Effingham Golf Club and raised nearly £5,000 for Wooden Spoon Surrey.

More than 290 guests enjoyed Concrete Society Lunch in aid of Wooden Spoon Wales, raising almost £5,000.

An open-air Queen tribute concert, held by Wooden Spoon Northumberland, raised over £5,500. Alnwick Rugby Club welcomed over 1,000 people for an afternoon of singing and dancing. Support band Dusty Train kicked off the party, followed by a star performance from We Are Champion, belting out all the Queen classics.

we will rock you!

We Are Champion at Alnwick Rugby Club

Spoony pulls a Boeing 737

ACROSS THE REGIONS

farne islands

GOLDEN tour

Bacon sandwiches and Buck’s Fizz were a great start to a day touring the Farne Islands, with a stop at Longstone Island lighthouse and views of the stunning Northumberland coastline, including Bamburgh and Lindisfarne castles. Northumberland Wooden Spoon would like to thank Ailsa and George Shiel, owners of the Golden Gate, for their very generous support of this trip which raised £1,000.

making sensory guernsey celebrates

Wooden Spoon Hertfordshire celebrated the success of the new sensory room at Park Street C of E Primary School and raised a further £4,000 at their Knebworth Golf Day.

Tee by the sea AT LEE ON SOLENT

Wooden Spoon Dorset, Wiltshire & Hampshire held a golf day at Lee on Solent Golf Club, raising £750 for their region.

Wooden Spoon Guernsey’s 21st anniversary celebrations, A Night with the Home Nations dinner and auction, raised a record £16,344 for the region. Special guests Kyran Bracken, Colin Charvis, John Barclay and Paul Wallace provided lively and entertaining rugby banter.

spanish challenge

Seamus Farrelly walked the famous 500-mile Camino de Santiago in aid of Wooden Spoon. A retired accountant and ex Wooden Spoon Eastern Counties Chair, Seamus also helped organise a cycle ride for rugby clubs in Norfolk, raising £136,000.

All aboard the Golden Gate

© Grant Dowinton

TOM BELL OBE

Tom Bell OBE, the inspiration behind TNT’s drive to raise over £4 million for Wooden Spoon between 1997 and 2021, has sadly passed away.

Tom had a long and distinguished career as Managing Director of TNT Express Services, spanning 33 years and was instrumental in them adopting Wooden Spoon as the company’s principal charitable partner.

Wooden Spoon was very fortunate indeed to have such a charismatic and dynamic philanthropist

as Tom. By championing Wooden Spoon, Tom and his team members not only helped Wooden Spoon to transport packages across our regions for events, but employees also made an unparalleled contribution towards vulnerable children by doing challenge events and raising funds.

In recognition of his services to charity, in particular his inspirational drive, determination and contribution to Wooden Spoon over the years, Tom was awarded an Officer of

Phil Bennett OBE

Phil Bennett OBE made 414 appearances, mainly as flyhalf for his beloved Llanelli RFC, during a 15-year career in amateur rugby. He was also a supporter and president at Stradey Park and Parc y Scarlets.

He rose to stardom in the 1970s, winning 29 caps and leading Wales to three Five Nations Championships, including Grand Slams in 1976 and 1978.

He starred in the unbeaten British Lions tour to South Africa in 1974, winning acclaim for his natural ability. His try against Scotland in

1977 was voted the greatest Wales try of all time.

He was a man of the people, always approachable and willing to give his time for good causes. He was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2015.

In 2011 he opened the Harriet Davis Trust project for Wooden Spoon Wales in Penally, near Tenby – a refurbishment of a heated indoor swimming pool specialist facility for children with disabilities.

In 2016 during the Golden Oldies event in Cardiff, he signed a Welsh rugby

the British Empire (OBE) in 2010. Tom was an inspiration to all, and our heartfelt condolences go to his family and friends.

shirt which gathered signatures from 50 former internationals, totalling over 2,000 caps, and raising £2,000 at auction.

He will be remembered for his modesty, but mainly his ability to entertain rugby fans all over the world.

Phil Bennett, left, opening the Harriet Davis Trust project in Penally for Wooden Spoon

©Gareth

Davies Photography Tenby

*Please note that all events will run in conjunction with Government guidelines and may be subject to change.

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ABERDEEN: Norman Fiddes aberdeen@woodenspoon.org.uk

BEDFORDSHIRE: Oliver Richbell bedfordshire@woodenspoon.org.uk

BRISTOL, BATH & SOMERSET: Bob Densley bbs@woodenspoon.org.uk

CHILTERNS: Chris Henkey chilterns@woodenspoon.org.uk

CORNWALL: Alan Milliner cornwall@woodenspoon.org.uk

CUMBRIA: John Cunningham cumbria@woodenspoon.org.uk

DEVON: Roger Haywood devon@woodenspoon.org.uk

DORSET, WILTSHIRE & HAMPSHIRE: Brett Bader dwh@woodenspoon.org.uk

DURHAM: Paul Tully durham@woodenspoon.org.uk

EASTERN COUNTIES: eastern@woodenspoon.org.uk

EDINBURGH: John Godfrey edinburgh@woodenspoon.org.uk

ESSEX: Richard Austin/James Crouch essex@woodenspoon.org.uk

GLASGOW: Jamie Livingston glasgow@woodenspoon.org.uk

GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Rob York gloucester@woodenspoon.org.uk

GUERNSEY: Karen Solway guernsey@woodenspoon.org.uk

HERTFORDSHIRE: John Batters hertfordshire@woodenspoon.org.uk

ISLE OF MAN: Allan Thompson/Peter Jenkins isleofman@woodenspoon.org.uk

JERSEY: David Wilton jersey@woodenspoon.org.uk

KENT: Richard Russ kent@woodenspoon.org.uk

LANCASHIRE: Martin Long lancashire@woodenspoon.org.uk

LEICESTERSHIRE: Malcolm Foulkes-Arnold leicester@woodenspoon.org.uk

LEINSTER: Niall Browne leinster@woodenspoon.org.uk

LONDON charity@woodenspoon.org.uk

MANCHESTER & CHESHIRE: Roger Smith manchester@woodenspoon.org.uk

MERSEYSIDE: Mark Flett merseyside@woodenspoon.org.uk

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE: northampton@woodenspoon.org.uk

NORTHUMBERLAND: Iain Stewart northumberland@woodenspoon.org.uk

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE: Diane Orson nottingham@woodenspoon.org.uk

OXFORDSHIRE: Will Deeley oxfordshire@woodenspoon.org.uk

SHROPSHIRE: Chris Bristow shropshire@woodenspoon.org.uk

STAFFORDSHIRE: Trevor Jenkins staffordshire@woodenspoon.org.uk

SURREY: Brian Hodges surrey@woodenspoon.org.uk

SUSSEX: Sandy Fleming sussex@woodenspoon.org.uk

ULSTER: Peter Wood ulster@woodenspoon.org.uk

WALES: Huw Thomas wales@woodenspoon.org.uk

WARWICKSHIRE: Ian Holroyd warwickshire@woodenspoon.org.uk

WEST MIDLANDS: Martin Owen westmidlands@woodenspoon.org.uk

WORCESTERSHIRE: John Gibson worcester@woodenspoon.org.uk

YORKSHIRE: Stuart Watson yorkshire@woodenspoon.org.uk

JOIN OUR CELEBRATIONS IN 2023

2023 marks 200 years since William Webb Ellis took the ball in his arms and ran with it on The Close at Rugby School. To celebrate this and 40 years of Wooden Spoon we have many exciting activities in store.

• Rugby Football themed children’s Art Competition

Events held at The Close, Rugby School:

• Rugby School Easter Weekend U9 festival

• Rugby School Easter Weekend U11 festival

• Vets sevens tournament

• We will also be attempting to break the World Record for the largest uncontested scrum To find out how to get involved, please visit: woodenspoon.org.uk/events

level playing field

Five years ago Wooden Spoon Kent provided a £11,000 grant to charity partner The Argonauts, enabling them to buy ten specialist wheelchairs.

The charity has also received funding from Dartford Borough Council, Dartford Lions and Northfleet & Ebbsfleet Lions.

Founded five years ago, the charity offers wheelchair sports for all abilities and ages, bringing together able-bodied and disabled players into one united team.

The focus is on teamwork, friendship, competitive sport, physical fitness, improving mental health and promoting an active social life. The benefits are immeasurable and for some members, truly life changing.

On trying the sport at a recent event, the Mayor of Dartford, Cllr Paul Cutler, said:

Disabled and ablebodied players unite as one squad in wheelchair rugby

“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone at The Argonauts and getting to grips with wheelchair rugby. I really appreciate how the charity is teaching able-bodied people, who have never used a wheelchair, about the kinds of difficulties people who are less mobile face daily.”

The Argonauts Chairman, Peter Johnston, said: “The sport is a wonderful way to socialise with people in the community, be it at training sessions, playing matches, or as a spectator. We are a really friendly group and look forward to welcoming anyone interested in taking part.”

The Argonauts train in Dartford every Monday. Please contact them via their Facebook page @The ArgonautsWCS, or email Peter at: theargonautswcs@gmail.com or Wooden Spoon Kent can put you in touch.

©Pete Bresser, www.bresserphotos.com

Let’s

ORGANISE A CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY

HOST A CHRISTMAS BAKE