As the mayor of Rye I was able to hand an envelope containing £50 cash courtesy of Pat Hughes and Rye Community Transport to Rye Rugby Tots organiser and coach Theo Bekker. Coach Theo said: “We were delighted to get this surprise as it was will enable us to buy some more rugby balls for our young players to practice with.”
My first official engagement as mayor was a visit in early May to Rye Rugby Tots on a Saturday morning at Rye Rugby Club, and I was blown away by how much fun the five to seven years old kids were having, and the enormous respect they had for their inspirational coach, Theo Bekker. It was a joyous morning!
And I was delighted to hand over the cash prize from the Rye Community Transport prize draw. A huge thank you to Pat Hughes for entering the Rugby Tots (for free) into the draw, having read the story in Rye News about my visit to Rye Rugby Tots. It was a very generous gesture.
The Rye Community Transport buses, and Pat and her team, deliver so much to the community; so many local (and often unsung) heroes like Theo give of their time to the community; and Rye News‘ role as a community paper brings people and organisations together in so many happy ways!
Rugby Tots runs year round on Saturday mornings, most of the year at Rye Rugby Club moving inside to the sports centre in the winter, and there is a session for five to seven-year-olds on Tuesday, August 6 from 10am to 3:30pm at Rye Rugby Club, where rugby skills may end in a fun water fight! To confirm places and for more info email theo@rugbytots.co.uk.
Image Credits: David Angell , Andy Stuart .
Absolutely brilliant. My little Stanley is there youngest player atm. His second session is this Saturday. Thank you for what you do Rugby Tots.
I’d like to explain a bit about how Rye & District Community Transport’s 200 Club works – there are 200 numbers – a £24 stake enters you into a year’s draws, half the stake goes to RDCT, supporting the running of the 326 Rye Town bus service, and half to prizes. There are 12 monthly draws with £100, £50 and £25 prizes, an extra draw of £50 at Christmas and an end of year £250 jackpot draw (coming up at the end of August). A number of subscribers choose to have their stake allocated to a youth organisation which will then receive any prizes. So all of our local primary schools, preschools, youth groups and clubs including guides, scouts, brownies, cubs, rangers, beavers, cricket colts, football, music, and rugby (including the Tots) have numbers. As well as the Rugby Tots, Brede and Northiam Schools and Honeybees, and the Cricket Colts have all benefitted this year. But every prize winner has been thrilled (giving out the prizes is my favourite job!) – the money (& all prizes are given in cash – lovely new notes just like we oldies got given, if lucky, as children) is enough for a bit of a treat – often shared, one recent winner treated friends to fish & chips. The new 200 Club year starts in September so get in it to win it! There is a form in this month’s Fixtures or they are available on the 326 buses. Thank you everyone.