Driffield RUFC raise more than £20,000 for cancer charities
Driffield RUFC has raised more than £20,000 for cancer charities Candlelighters and Prostate Cancer UK thanks to a charity rugby game and bike ride.
After club stalwart Rob Norman’s two-year-old daughter, Harriet, was diagnosed with leukemia, the club community rallied together to start fundraising.
On 14 June the club hosted a charity rugby game between Driffield School XV and Rest of World XV. Complete with hog roast, charity auction and raffle, the event was a huge success and raised almost £9,000.
Driffield honorary secretary Brad Webster said: “It turned out to be a fantastic evening and was incredibly well attended.
“We're very lucky that Driffield as a club, has a great community vibe and people don't just turn up for the first team, they turn up because it's the club.”
On both sides were players who had previously shared the pitch with Rob, with a total 62 players participating in the game.
As captain of the 3rd XV for 10 years, Rob led the side to four successive East Yorkshire Merit Final victories and made 259 appearances for the club.
On top of the charity match, eight current and former club members committed to a charity bike ride from Driffield to Edinburgh – a more than 250-mile journey.
Sam Parker, one of the cyclists, explained: “We'd originally arranged a bike ride just for a laugh. Once we got the news about Rob’s daughter, we couldn't not do the charity and try to support him and give back what he's given us for 10 years.
“He was influential and just a good lad as part of the rugby club. He's put his soul into it for 10 years and is big character in the club, a top guy.”
The cyclists split their journey into three days of progressively shorter distances. The first day featured a grueling 115-mile ride to Whitley Bay, before 84 miles on day two and 60 miles on day three.
Most of the group are still local to Driffield, but some have traveled from further afield to support the two charities, including from Kendal in the Lake District.
Candlelighters is a Yorkshire-based charity that supports children with cancer and their families by investing in research and paying for a range of things such as refreshments, decorations and equipment.
Prostate Cancer UK aims to raise awareness about prostate cancer and fund research, in addition to providing support to those affected.
“Getting the legs moving on day three was a little bit tough at the start of the day with two big climbs early doors,” said Parker. “But we had plenty of motivation to make it to the end with the charity and why we were raising money in the back of our mind.”
So far the bike ride has already raised over £14,000 for the two charities and the link to donate can be found here.
