160 Children Get Involed In Tag Festival With Bath Rugby Foundation

To celebrate the end of another 5 week block of Premiership Rugby?s ?Something to Chew On? healthy eating programme, Bath Rugby Foundation invited 160 children from schools across Wiltshire & Bath & North East Somerset to Trowbridge RFC for a tag festival.

The festival was a chance for the children, all in years 3 & 4, to display their tag rugby skills to friends, family and teachers whilst engaging in some fun activity with pupils from local schools.

Every child who took part in the festival had completed the 5 week healthy eating programme delivered by Bath Rugby Foundation coaches Joe Aygul & Jenny Hyde. The Something to Chew On programme – in partnership with Public Health England and, BT Sport’s The Supporters Club – provided each school with an hour of interactive indoor classroom work, focusing on Healthy Eating messages whilst increasing children’s knowledge of food safety and another hour outside practicing Tag Rugby skills, and linking what they had learnt about Healthy Eating to sport and activity.

With 160 children playing tag rugby, the afternoon was very lively but the skills and enthusiasm on show were a credit to the children themselves and to the school teachers and Foundation coaches. All the children played at least one match and their efforts were rewarded at the end of the tournament by a visit from Maximus, the leader of the Bath Rugby Junior Member Club.

In a positive collaboration between two Premiership Rugby programmes, pupils from Southwick Primary, Combe Down CEVC Primary, Redland Primary and St John’s Catholic Primary School were refereed by students from the HITZ programme who volunteered their time as part of the Level 1 Sport & Active Leisure qualification they are currently studying. The HITZ programme funded by Land Rover, Comic Relief,  Barclay's and Wooden Spoon tackles some of the greatest challenges faced by young people today – unemployment, crime and disillusionment - and utilises the power of rugby to increase young people’s confidence, resilience and self-reliance. It provides them with the skills to get back into education, vocational training, apprenticeships and employment. The two HITZ students assisting on the day noticably grew in confidence as the day progressed and their refereeing knowledge, plus their ability to control and motivate young people increased.

The day couldn't have been possible without Trowbridge RFC's support who so generously allowed Bath Rugby Foundation to use their clubhouse and pitches. From everyone at Bath Rugby Foundation, thank you.