‘It makes me feel part of a team………..’

This week we received a letter addressed to our Ambassador and England rugby star Mike Brown. It was from a young man called Henry Zahab who has been part of the youth programme  RDO Paul Arnold has been running in Richmond, coached by Luke White. The letter was to Mike because it has been through his generous donations that we have been able to fund this. You will remember that Mike gave his QBE award money to us from last season and we have just had another donation from him through the sale of his old kit. Young Henry Zahab has loved taking part in the programme and his letter says, 'Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play wheelchair rugby...it makes me feel that just because...
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Super Series Divisions 2 and 3 About to Start

This week I have been at the International Rugby Board World Rugby Conference in London where Steve Brown and I presented on the World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge 2015. It was a fantastic conference for us and there is a real interest in our tournament from potential sponsors and broadcasters. The challenge now is to turn that interest into a commitment to play a part in what will be an amazing event for athletes, spectators and our sport, and I am working hard to achieve that. At the end of the Conference the IRB announced its rebranding as 'World Rugby' so we wish it the very best as it moves forward and continues to grow the game world wide. It was good to have the support of the IWRF Pres...
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Wheelchair Rugby Arrives in the West Country

This weekend a new Super Series  begins with Division 1 teams lining up at Fenton Manor in Stoke on Trent. This great tournament goes from strength to strength with the quality of play increasing year on year. This is good for the game itself and also for the future of our national side.  Lorraine and Head Coach Paul Shaw will be dropping into Stoke over the weekend to look at players and talk with club coaches and Leagues 2 and 3  will see Talent Head Coach Phil Zealy around when their league starts. The number of teams in the competition continues to grow with 17 competing across 3 leagues this year - 8 in Division 1, 6 in Division 2 and 3 in Division 3.  This is fantastic growth as th...
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Clubs Prepare for 2014-15 Super Series

The clocks went back this weekend and this morning I set off at 530 in pitch darkness from my home in Cornwall to Twickenham to start  a busy week. I hate the dark mornings but as I drove up the A303 I was pretty excited about some of the things happening at the moment. I started the day with Lorraine and Kirsty interviewing candidates for the new position of Community Programme Manager, a key role which will lead on building a community programme around the WWRC15 tournament. It is an exciting position which will need someone who can hit the ground running to ensure they deliver against a tight timeline. We want to make sure that WWRC15 is not just about hosting an amazing international to...
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Pirates Wheelchair Rugby Club 25th Anniversary

Last weekend the Pirates Wheelchair Rugby Club celebrated their silver jubilee – 25 years of playing the game and giving wheelchair rugby opportunities to those in Cardiff and beyond who have wanted to get in a chair and enjoy themselves. The club’s rich history stretches back to 1989 when Oswestry Battlers wheelchair rugby team helped stage a demo at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Debbie Stevens and Kath Jones, Physio and OT at Rockwood SIU had rounded up as many ...
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GB Athletes Entertain the Harlequins Crowd

It was a big game for Harlequins on Saturday who took on Wasps in one of the season’s London derbies. We were there in numbers as our partner Quins gave us a fund raising opportunity and a chance to showcase the sport on a specially laid surface on the pitch. It was a great day – Quins won a tight match and lots of young people and excited adults got in chairs and had fun. Thank you to the GB athletes who took part: Ships, Kylie, Alan, Mandip, Johnny, Jim and Ayaz as well as Kirsty, Lee and the volunteers who helped on the day. Our Chairman Kevin, a keen Quins supporter was also there, as was Trustee Andrew Flatt, an equally keen Wasps fan who looked slightly incongruous in his Wasps bas...
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