Lutterworth Rugby Club are giving back while they're unable to play

Rugby may not be possible at club level at the present time but that hasn’t stopped Lutterworth RFC from giving something back to their local community during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ahead of Christmas, the club were involved in a number of initiatives to help their local area.

It included the club’s Mini Co-ordinator Simon Perkins being instrumental in helping Inspire of Lutterworth to ensure Santa’s Sleigh was able to get out and about with volunteers giving up their time to walk with the sleigh and collect donations.

Inspire of Lutterworth is a charity made up of local residents who raise money for local groups or individuals who are in need of extra support.

The work of club members Samantha and Paul Blake with Lutterworth and Villages Foodbank - managed by the Trussell Trust - over the last six years helped lead to the club’s headquarters in Ashby Lane becoming a designated food bank drop-off point in the run up to Christmas.

And the club’s senior teams also lent their support to two local care homes - Lutterworth Country House Care Home and Wood Market Care Home.

Before Christmas, the respective men’s and ladies team managers Steve Russell and Laura Wilford helped collect gifts and deliver them to the residents of both homes while the ‘Sax Man’ was also on hand to play carols.

The club were also aware that Lutterworth Country House Care Home had a need for updated televisions for the residents and Max Electrical supplied two 47 inch Smart TVs at a heavily discounted rate while the club added in Amazon Fire Sticks to ensure the residents had plenty to watch over Christmas and beyond.

These are just examples of the work the club, which will celebrate its 150th anniversary during the 2022/23 season, has been trying to do in the tough months where training and matches have, in general, not been possible for their numerous teams of all ages.

Club president Martyn Holmes said: “Things have been a bit stop-start with the guidance for playing and it’s made it difficult.

“But we just made a decision as the management of the club to try to put something back into the local community.

“We recognised that we are in a strong position when compared to the vulnerable and less fortunate members of our local community and we therefore decided upon trying to help those in need of some cheer and help at this difficult time in our lives.

“We did suspend some membership fees for our members but, fortunately, a lot of them have kept it going which is good because the club still has bills to pay even when we aren’t open.

“And members have been involved in the work we have been doing to help those who are going through tough times.

“We are going to try to do another push on the foodbank in the run up to Easter because we people are still struggling.

“By having that link to the foodbank, we just want people to know that we are here to help.”

Despite the current uncertainty, it hasn’t stopped the club from tentatively planning ahead for their 150th anniversary celebrations and one idea is already being floated around.

Holmes added: “It’s obviously a big thing for us but it’s difficult at the moment with trying to plan things at the moment.

“We are probably going to start by having our mini and junior sections to take part in a competition to design a 150 logo.

“It will give them something to do. The kids miss their school friends and their rugby mates so it could be a way to help keep them all in touch with each other.

“There will be other events planned in but, clearly, we need to wait a while before we get them all sorted out.”