Enjoy Hong Kong 7s & help refugees
A government scheme to help in the Syrian refugee crisis allows local groups to play a role in resettling families.
They take on the responsibility for welcoming, supporting and settling refugee families in their community and now Ellingham and Ringwood Ruby Club have become the first rugby club to get involved.
The club is currently working to raise £10,000 (£9,000 is the minimum Home Office requirement but they are targeting £10,000) to help a Syrian refugee family settle in Ringwood.
On Saturday 7th March they are raffling a fantastic prize - a trip for two, including flights, accommodation and tickets to all three delayed Hong Kong Sevens days. The tickets are £10 each and if you’d like to buy some or support the project in any way please call the club’s Director of Rugby Mark Johnson on 07775 556898 or email him at info@rugby4refugees.com
Mark, who is launching Rugby 4 Refugees not only for his club initiative but to help others, is hoping it will “roll out across multiple rugby clubs and become a repository for information. We have even had a rugby club in New Zealand looking for guidance from Ellingham to help them in their aim to support refugees ”
Ellingham and Ringwood want to get to their £10k total, find and blitz a local property Groundforce style, find interpreters and bring a family in by July ready for the new school year.
Mark agrees that the club faces challenges, including being a Community Amateur Sports Club rather than a registered charity. They are being helped by sheltering under the umbrella of the Caritas diocese of Portsmouth. The club has appointed a project group to work up every aspect including issues such as housing, education and employment.
Says Mark: “Most involved are faith groups but rugby clubs are very well able to run projects and support families who will integrate in a far better way than being placed in a town or village. Rugby clubs are families themselves and always welcome newcomers. Caritas is our lead sponsor but the project is actually being run by the club.
“There are many reasons rugby should embrace community sponsorship, based both on pragmatism and principles. The practical side is embodied by the simple fact that every rugby club is a broad church. Doctors, farmers, teachers, builders, scientists, policeman and businessmen take the field together every week, not bound by schooling or background, but by a common bond - the simple pleasure of transporting an egg shaped ball up the pitch and placing it behind their opposition’s line. The principles that enable a combative sport to be played fairly, should be applied to help this cause.”
Mark, a rugby man through and through, retired from playing officially four years ago, aged 50, but still “dabbles from time to time”, even running out with his two eldest sons for the thirds and once benching for the First XV and playing alongside his son .
With four sons and two daughters, family is of fundamental importance and what he would like to see now is a Syrian refugee family gaining all the support and friendship that he has from the rugby community.
For further information contact Mark Johnson (07775) 556898
Email: info@rugby4refugees.com
Last chance to buy via info@rugby4refugees.com
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Picture credit - Getty Images
