Rugby Uncle Charity

on Jun 18 in News, Portfolio tagged by Max

Last year, Paul Walsh and Nick Avery asked if I would get involved in this charity and I jumped at the chance – here is some more about it:

As anyone who has travelled to India will know, to be addressed as “Uncle” (or “Aunty”) is both common and respectfully affectionate.

At the end of 2008 one of Rugby Uncle’s trustees was visiting India to see for himself the work of the Jungle Crows rugby club in Kolkata. He was struck instantly by the imapct that the club was having with many young and underprivileged people. Many of the participants in the playing sessions were looking not only to improve their play but also to benefit more generally from the community established by the club. It was obvious that relatively small amounts of money could go a long way in creating social benefits for the members of clubs like Jungle Crows.

From his visit, Rugby Uncle was established with trustees in the UK and India. In the UK the emphasis is very much on fund raising; in India, Rugby Uncle looks for suitable projects to support.

Rugby Uncle has been set up to provide support to rugby players in disadvantaged communities. Setting out we are focussed on India as this is where we have first hand experience of the effect of rugby on young people and how it can change lives.

As Rugby Uncle begins its journey we will begin by focussing on two main areas; giving youngsters access to organised rugby and support to players who want to better themselves. Within each area there are many ways Rugby Uncle will look to support players always bearing in mind the rugby ethos of teamwork, understanding, co-operation and respect.

You can see the website here: rugbyuncle.org