Newbury Women’s NHS Challenge
Newbury Women’s Rugby Club has a number of players on the team working for the NHS and players and their families are grateful for treatment and services the NHS provides.
They are also very aware that the NHS funds important mental health schemes such as talking therapies which are all the more important during a challenging time when healthy outlets like rugby are unavailable. That’s why the club’s new challenge is raising vital funds for the Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.
Initially setting a target of travelling virtually via foot, bicycle and rowing machines, from Newbury to Paris, and back again, a total of 684 miles, they soon overtook that and are now covering each Six Nations host city: Rome, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Dublin – a total of 4,172 miles.
With national lockdown travel restrictions in place, each club member has been doing this around the area they live. The women’s captain Lizzie Harris and vice-captains Rosie Archard and Becky Wilson kicked off the mission with a team talk.
Said Lizzie: "Due to Covid regulations we obviously cannot train at the moment and a big part of being a Blues family is the camaraderie and working hard together.
"Putting together a January team challenge meant we were able to bring the team together even though we are apart and still be competitive while doing so."
The club wanted to support the Berkshire NHS because of the support it has given to not only the rugby club, but the whole country.
"Many players on the team work for the NHS, and so many of us have been grateful to receive treatment and NHS services. The past year has shown that talking about mental health and checking up on those around you is so important, and we want to raise money and more awareness to battle the stigma of mental health, and to say that it is okay not to be okay and to reach out for help.
"We wanted to encourage everyone to get outside and stay active, even more so because of the current climate due to another national lockdown. We’ve had so much positive feedback from the women and from everyone getting involved.
"We are tracking how we’re doing on social media daily, with the women taking part uploading pictures and their mileage done each time they complete a little bit more."
If anyone would like to make any donations to their just giving page, the link is Newbury Women RFC is fundraising for Berkshire Health Charitable Fund (justgiving.com)
