GRAVESEND RUGBY CLUB AND ELLENOR ANNOUNCE EXCITING THREE-YEAR PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS

The club has almost reached an initial £25,000 fundraising target for ellenor and the recent “handshake” between the two organisations means the club will be putting even more effort into helping to raise ellenor’s profile and generating donations, to help people facing life-limiting illnesses and their families, in the local area.

The relationship began last year when the GRFC’s Moles team, made up traditionally of “dads and lads”, began to celebrate their 25^th anniversary season. The Moleys decided to hold a programme of events that would be fun for club members and the wider community and raise £25,000 for ellenor in the process!

The Moles Chairman, Steve Weeks, and the Moles Captain, Gareth Moore, kicked off the campaign in Spring 2023 with a Summer Ball. Since then there have been numerous and varied events driven by Moleys and their families and friends, supported by the club, from the more traditional lunches, auctions, raffles, race night etc, to the more innovative events held in Gravesend, such as the MoleFest music festival.

The club noted with appreciation that ellenor had enthusiastically embraced the fundraising events to date and supported with advice, attendance at events, promotion and more, and so the seeds of a partnership relationship were born. The more the club and ellenor talked, the more it was felt that there could be mutual benefit flowing from working together. The relationship between ellenor and GRFC organically deepened to include the club making its facilities available to ellenor at no cost.

Nicola Irvine, ellenor’s Head of Supporter Engagement, stated, “The support from Gravesend Rugby Club is invaluable. Over the course of our three-year partnership, their efforts will not only raise significant funds but also help increase awareness of our services, allowing us to help more families in need. This long-term commitment ensures sustained support, enabling us to plan ahead and invest in essential resources. The collaboration has brought our two communities closer together, fostering a spirit of unity and shared purpose. We are immensely grateful for their dedication and look forward to the continued success of this partnership.”

Promisingly the first ellenor event at the club, its relocated monthly fundraising quiz, raised considerably more than in the past, and many more events are now booked in, such as the ellenor Christmas fete and children’s Christmas party. New Moles Chairman, Gareth Moore, recently took part in an ellenor podcast which will be out soon, exemplifying the reciprocity of the relationship.

Over the next 3 seasons ellenor will be making a modest investment in the growth of social rugby at the club, by sponsoring some of the teams’ kits, which will be proudly sporting the charity’s logo.

Social rugby is the grass roots of the club, and it is predominantly these players, who come in all shapes and sizes and ages, who will be wearing the ellenor kit and driving the fundraising activities. The intention is for the teams to be more than just rugby teams, it’s about getting involved with activities in the community, and supporting a worthy cause.

Like ellenor, GRFC is a long standing part of the local community, and many of its members have, sadly, had first-hand experience of ellenor’s services, at the hospice in Northfleet and out in the wider community.

Club Chairman Mark Bruce said: “Some of our members have benefitted from the compassionate care ellenor provides to local patients and their families. We are proud to be working with them over the next 3 years, to spread the word about the work they do and to raise funds for a vital and very worthy local charity." 

Club Manager Beth Bone and her family used ellenor’s Hospice at Home services when her father John Cubitt, became ill. John, a past chairman of the rugby club and a local councillor, was cared for at home by his wife Moira with the help and support of ellenor nurses. Since he passed away Beth and her brother Tom have already raised thousands of pounds for ellenor, prior to the start of the GRFC Moles campaign last year.

Club Director of Rugby, James Percy, speaks movingly about how ellenor helped him and his family in the final stage of his father’s life and noted that ”The club has always supported good causes. The values of rugby are teamwork, respect, discipline, sportsmanship and enjoyment, to which we would also add community spirit.”

Led by the Chairman of Social Rugby, Benny Giles, and the new Moles Chairman, Gareth Moore GRFC intends to not only raise further sums for ellenor beyond the current £25,000 Moles campaign but also hopes to bring some fun and create some buzz in the Gravesend area, as well as spread the word about the important work done by ellenor.