As the mayor of Rye I was able to hand an envelope containing £50 cash courtesy of Pat Hughes and Rye Community Transport to Rye Rugby Tots organiser and coach Theo Bekker. Coach Theo said: "We were delighted to get this surprise as it was will enable us to buy some more rugby balls for our young players to practice with."
My first official engagement as mayor was a visit in early May to Rye Rugby Tots on a Saturday morning at Rye Rugby Club, and I was blown away by how much fun the five to seven years old kids were having, and the enormous respect they had for their inspirational coach, Theo Bekker. It was a joyous morning!
And I was delighted to hand over the cash prize from the Rye Community Transport prize draw. A huge thank you to Pat Hughes for entering the Rugby Tots (for free) into the draw, having read the story in Rye News about my visit to Rye Rugby Tots. It was a very generous gesture.
The Rye Community Transport buses, and Pat and her team, deliver so much to the community; so many local (and often unsung) heroes like Theo give of their time to the community; and Rye News' role as a community paper brings people and organisations together in so many happy ways!
Rugby Tots runs year round on Saturday mornings, most of the year at Rye Rugby Club moving inside to the sports centre in the winter, and there is a session for five to seven-year-olds on Tuesday, August 6 from 10am to 3:30pm at Rye Rugby Club, where rugby skills may end in a fun water fight! To confirm places and for more info email theo@rugbytots.co.uk.
