Father & Son Refs Raising Funds for Injured Players
Julian Edwards and his son Theo are both members of the North Midlands Referees Society.
Theo qualified as a Young Match Official last autumn, while continuing to play for Camp Hill RFC in the West Midlands. When not in the middle with his whistle, Julian also edits the Society website.
Right now he’s furloughed from work and Theo has had his GCSE exams cancelled, so the dynamic duo thought they would get on their bikes and ride - between all 70 North Midlands rugby clubs before the end of August.
“We thought that we would put the time to good use, keep fit ready for whenever the season starts, and raise funds for two very good causes who will need our help during the current coronavirus pandemic: the RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF) and the Matt Hampson Foundation,” said Julian.
The IPF is the RFU’s official charity which is continuing to support players with life changing injuries and their families.
“We, like every charity, have seen fundraising impacted at a time when support is more needed than ever," said head of the RFU IPF, Karen Hood. "This is a lovely example of the rugby family coming together to help when so many of our injured players are having to stay physically isolated.
“One of the great things about how the charity works as a community, is that we can continue to support each other virtually to ensure that we remain connected.”
While coronavirus continues to create tremendous difficulties, right now there is the opportunity to take on physical challenges like this, keep fit for rugby’s return and support the work being done for seriously injured players. For more information on the IPF visit rfuipf.org.uk
A link to Julian and Theo’s fundraiser is here: https://refsdotherounds.wordpress.com/
Or search JustGiving website for Refs do the Rounds
