I look back over this year and see just what we have achieved, despite Covid hitting us harder than Courtney Lawes running through a opposition fly half.

 Fitness sessions via zoom on a Sunday Morning.

Risk assessments a plenty.

Sanitising (shouldn’t we have always wanted to be clean?)

Buckets with soap for your balls.

Contact/no contact/Contact again in 15 minute bouts/groups of 6/bubbles/tiers/Roadmaps with varying letters, and then zoom meetings to explain the roadmap. (We all wish we had a few shares in zoom).

First Aid courses.

Rugby with no mauls or scrums.

Finally a return to rugby with some trepidation.

New kit which we couldn’t offer if it weren’t for our amazing sponsors.

The season 21/22 – a initiative looking at delivering rugby to non-rugby playing communities; summer camps; a pathway for women’s rugby bearing fruit from the girls section; more kids playing Rugby than ever before; a new website, fence, shelter at Oglesby park, awesome Halloween do, a Christmas party, a sports person dinner with the amazing Nigel Owens.

An amazing start to the season with a proper registration day.

Law changes.

GMS player affiliation (AARRRRGGGGHHHH)

An undefeated U12 tour to Kirby Lonsdale.

England Rugby CPD’s sold out.

England Rugby Level Award courses sold out.

Level of rugby through the roof.

Lifetime achievement award for our schools liaison (Keithy Robbo).

Plus loads I’ve obviously forgotten to mention, one thing is for sure we could not have experienced the successes we have without all the hard work that goes in not just on a Wednesday and a Sunday but all the other time too from our army of volunteers.

What for next season, well we can’t stand still and bask in our glory, we have to push to get more rugby in schools and challenge the status quo of football & netball. This includes colleges and we continue to develop “academies” at both our colleges, with a pathway to universities too. Alongside this I’d love to get a career fayre off the ground so those who don’t want to college we can support too.

We will continue to assist, invest and advise on the development of Heslam and Oglesby to have the very best facility in the area.

Despite trying to step away from the Tackle it Together mental health initiative, I have been voted in again as the vice chair, we have plans in place to develop a procedure for how to signpost to the correct agencies and we have some of our managers and coaches assisting with the working group for youth and adult mental health, you should see more about this in the future. But another string to our bow and we don’t just create athletes of a high standard, we look after their well being and mental health too.

A 4G pitch which will be rugby shock pad enabled at JLC will be built in 2022 (Hopefully) we will have access to this.

So this is all positive where’s the bad news – well I don’t really have any. 3 more years (if voted in) to make us untouchable for years to come.

Minis and Junior age grade just keep doing what they’re doing. We seem to get new members every week and we will support as in the best way we can.

I hope you enjoy some quality time with your nearest and dearest, whilst we also give a respectful bow of the head to absent friends and family. I hope Boris doesn’t lock us down and we all get back to Rugby next year. 

Last thing to say is a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Big love to you all.