Northallerton heart of their community
Northallerton Rugby Club in North Yorkshire lies between two National Parks, the Moors and the Dales.
It’s an area where tourism has suffered during lockdown and where a rugby club is a much needed part of the local community, Northallerton RFC having existed since 1882.
Helping vulnerable
During lockdown, the club offered care packages for the elderly and vulnerable and volunteered to do shopping, pick up prescriptions, post items or walk dogs. In two days they had 30,000 hits on their Facebook promotion. Like other clubs they lost the revenue from hire of the clubhouse and end of season events like a ball and a sponsors’ lunch, while still having to meet monthly costs.
NatWest Rugby Force
They applied for and received a £10,000 small business grant and are now looking forward to sprucing up the clubhouse at Brompton Lodge, with a £500 NatWest Rugby Force grant, which will help them improve the flooring and replace the tables. Volunteers are also repainting, all of this work making their public areas more appealing for those looking for function space to hire, as well as for members.
They run three men’s teams, a women’s teams and mini & youth rugby, and players are delighted to be back among team mates even at a distance. During the coronavirus crisis they celebrated Pride weekend, saying on their social media that they wanted to “celebrate the impact that the LGBTQ+ community has had on the world.”
NHS Support
They sold junior and senior club shirts bearing the NHS logo with all proceeds going to the NHS charity. Their U11s also took part in an NHS appreciation ball passing challenge, one young player shouting “Thank you NHS, including my mum and dad!” Watch it here.
With gyms still closed, their partner Evolve NCA fitness centre went along to the club to get players back to distanced fitness before pre-season training returned, again at a distance.
Senior Vase at Twickenham
For a club that featured at last season’s Senior Vase Final against Honiton at Twickenham Stadium, life without rugby has meant an inability to spend time with special people at the club. One of the most missed has been local sporting hero Jim Moffatt, who continued to run touch at the club weeks after suffering heart problems and was recognised in local Council awards.
Said club chairman Dave Swall, a local farmer whose son Iain, aged 26, is first XV captain: “We have a great bunch of volunteers sorting out the club and getting it ready for a return to rugby. We are in a rural area and our players really enjoy the club’s social atmosphere, which they’ve very much missed.”
The team will be glad to get back in their Treadmills construction company sponsored kit and can be sure that life at the club will be safe and bright, thanks to Logans Electrics. Last month (July) some current and former players tried golf thanks to sponsorship from Simon Warren Osteopath and hosts Romanby Golf Club. But now they want to return to their first love – rugby!
