The Sussex Merlins Under-11 Rugby League team are set to make history in May when they become as the first team from the Brighton-based club to go on tour when they travel to Skegness to take part in the in Rhinos Challenge, a festival for boys from Under-7s through to Under-14s and girls at Under-13 and Under-15.
The festival offers a unique experience for rugby league teams of all abilities and to raise funds for the trip, Gina Palmer – Under 11s team manager, came up with a variety of fundraising activities.
At the end of last season they kicked off with a “Guess How Many Snakes In A Jar” competition which raised £94:00. In November they raised £544:62 at Morrisons supermarket in Worthing with their first bag packing session. This was followed by another in January at Asda in Ferring which raised £671:07 and the latest at Sainsbury’s in Rustington netted £708:14. This year's Grand Prize Draw has also helped the team raise money for their tour, with the club taking advantage of the cash back scheme through selling tickets for the draw which takes place on Monday 6th April
To date they have raised £2,017:82 but they’ve got more events planned.
They include a “Guess How Many Mini Eggs In A Jar” competition at Easter and a Ladies Pamper Night with Forever Living products. Penny Daley from the company has agreed to donate 30 per cent of all profits to the tour fund.
They are also hoping to sell 14 books of Rhinos Challenge raffle tickets with 50 per cent of the money going into the tour fund.
All the money raised will be used to pay for the players’ tour shirts and supplies and enable them to do some fun things in the evenings etc. They have also managed to get KIT Sportswear to sponsor a full playing kit for 15 players.
Steve Jones, Head of Youth at the Merlins, said: “This is an amazing achievement from Gina and all the players who have worked tirelessly in raising monies for the forthcoming tour. Along with the support of the club, the coaching team and parents they are making massive efforts to ensure the club grows and so does rugby league in the South.
“We are very proud of their efforts at the Sussex Merlins and are sure they will gain a lot of friends and have a great experience from playing in the Rhinos Challenge. “
For more information on the Rhinos Challenge go to: http://rhinoschallenge.co.uk/