Well it’s the week before Christmas and everyone else in the world seems to be on shut down, but not the Leeds Rugby Foundation! My week started off with a great meeting with Jo from Sovereign Healthcare Charitable Trust to talk about how we might work together in the future and there are some very exciting opportunities!
Then on to meet Starr, one of the Community Team, who is based at the Hamara Centre. It’s my first visit to the Hamara Centre and I’m blown away. They are doing some fabulous work in the community and Starr and the Leeds Rugby Foundation are at the heart of that work. I’m invited to join a farewell lunch for one of their projects and enjoy some wonderful hospitality from all the staff and volunteers and some fabulous food (they even sent me away with a goodie bag full of food!)
Then straight on to the Stadium to get ready for the Firewalk in aid of the Foundation and their Partner Charity for the Year, Leeds Mencap. I came up with this idea about a year ago and it is great to see it come to fruition. The set up time involves meeting and greeting choirs, the firewalking company, our MC for the night, circus acts and making sure they are all in the right place at the right time. Watching in awe as 52 brave people (including 3 of the fabulous Foundation team) walk across hot coals really warmed my heart that people will go to such extreme lengths to raise vital funds for these two charities.
The next day, I’m off to Leeds Met to meet Ikram, a member of the Leeds Rugby Foundation Staff Team who is based at the University. We spend time talking about his areas of work and hearing stories from when he recently met Prince Charlie! The afternoon is full of meetings too but then I get the chance to go and see the Rhinestones (the Foundation Dance Group) perform in their Christmas Cabaret. Well, if I wasn’t already in the Christmas spirit I am now, having seen all the various groups (including Rhinestone mums!) perform some wonderful Christmas dance routines.
Wednesday sees me at the Stadium again to meet Paul, the Foundation team member who delivers tours of the stadium and I was lucky enough to experience one of his tours first hand! The Stadium is an inspiring place and Paul knows about it all! From the changing rooms to the long bar, we went everywhere, but the highlight for me was being able to press the time buzzer in the stadium! I was like a big kid! Then onto meet a gentleman who has done some amazing feats for charity to talk about his next big adventure and how we could partner with him for it. It’s all very exciting…. Watch this space! In the afternoon I meet up with fundraisers of other charities at the Forget Me Not Hospice in Huddersfield to brainstorm on new fundraising ideas and share best practice on some older ideas! The Hospice isn’t open yet, but it is a wonderful place and it’s great to hear more about some of the fantastic work that they will do there and how the Foundation can support their efforts.
By the end of the week it’s time to catch up on emails and documents that need to be ready for 2012. I nip up to the Stadium for a quick photo-shoot with Ikram as we send off 30 children’s Rhinos shirts to India as Christmas presents before settling down behind my computer tie up all the loose ends ahead of the holidays and of course find time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!!