22 Oct 2019
We’ve been bowled over (if you’ll pardon the pun) with support for our joint initiative with inclusive rugby team The Scottish Clan.
Bids in our silent auction close at midnight on Sunday 27th October so the countdown is on if you want to secure a special piece of rugby memorabilia.
Help us send bids on all the shirts and world cup ball above £400 – and surely we can persuade one generous supporter to get at least £500 for the signed, Scotland rugby shirt?
It’s for a genuinely fantastic cause that’s dear to our hearts - and of many rugby enthusiasts and parents.
Click here to bid before midnight on Sunday – and thank you in advance.
Available lots
Signed rugby shirts for;
- Scotland
- Bath
- Glasgow Warriors
- Edinburgh
Plus a World Cup Ball 2019, also signed by the Scotland team
We were first made aware of inclusive rugby through two inspiring young men, Josh Nisbet, who recently moved into Robertson Homes’ Dovecot Grange development in Haddington and his friend Josh Rogers who also lives in Haddington. Both Joshes have Down’s syndrome and both have been keen followers of rugby since childhood.
Despite their enthusiasm, the lads were never able to play, due to well-meaning but misguided concerns as to their abilities and personal safety. Until that is, they came across The Clan, a unified rugby team under the umbrella of Scottish Charity, Trust Rugby International (TRI).
The Clan’s first team in Scotland was established in Kilmarnock as part of a pilot study looking at ways to use sport to improve the health of individuals with disabilities. Rugby may not be the most obvious sport for people who may be thought to be vulnerable, but the team was such a success that The Clan extended into Edinburgh and then Glasgow, the Borders and Fraserburgh. (There’s even a team in Spain called El Clan).
These regional teams have since come together to form the Scottish Clan, affiliated to, and endorsed by, SRU, who has given them the right to wear the thistle and represent Scotland as the Scottish Unified Rugby Team.
Unified Rugby, a form of mixed ability rugby, uses a system of Enablers. These are players who, as well as playing their own game of full-contact rugby, play alongside more vulnerable players, supporting them to play with modified rules.
Karen Mercer, sales and marketing manager for Robertson Homes in Haddington said, “We’ve been utterly inspired by these young men and their love for their sport. Please help us raise as much as we can so that all can continue to take part, purchase the necessary equipment and travel to games.”
Donations to the Scottish Clan can also be made through their JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.
