In the build up to this year’s Children in Need event Leeds Rhinos stars Danny McGuire and Liam Sutcliffe took time out of their schedule to visit St Nicholas’ Primary School in Leeds to help support a Leeds Rhinos Foundation project which has been made possible due to a grant from BBC Children in Need.
Earlier this year Leeds Rhinos Foundation were awarded a BBC Children in Need grant to deliver their ‘We are Rhinos’ project to Primary School pupils in Leeds. The grant has enabled staff from the Foundation to work with 400 disadvantaged young people in 20 different Primary Schools in Leeds, through delivering after school activities which aim to improve confidence, encourage a healthier lifestyle and help engage the young people into their community.
Pupils who attend the ‘We are Rhinos’ project at St Nicholas’ Primary School got the chance to meet their Rhinos heroes and celebrate this year’s Children in Need event when McGuire and Sutcliffe visited the school to help support a coaching session led by Leeds Rhinos Foundation coach and former Rhinos Academy player Matthew Nicholson.
Speaking at the visit Danny McGuire said: “It’s great to be here and see the kids taking part in sport and rugby league and to be promoting healthy lifestyles and everything that the Leeds Rhinos Foundation stands for. I grew up about five minutes away from here so it’s local to me and it’s nice to be here and doing some coaching with the kids.
“Children in Need has been around for such a long time and when it comes around the country get behind it and the money that is made on the night you see going to great causes and helping orgainsitaions like the Foundation who do great work in the Community.”
Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s General Manager Davide Longo added: “The project has been a massive success since it launched back in July. Since then we have delivered early intervention work in some of the most challenging areas of Leeds through a variety of after school activities. The children have participated in a high quality level of Physical Education with the Foundation’s qualified coaches. We have seen the children’s self-esteem grow and there has been an improvement in their health and well-being through healthier lifestyle information and challenges.
“We are extremely grateful to BBC Children in Need for awarding us with this grant, which has allowed us to provide valuable work in our community. This week we will see incredible fundraising efforts from thousands of people across the UK who donate time and money to support BBC Children in Need projects and we would like to thank all those people as we know that grants like ours are only made possible because of this generous support.”