Derwent Park Rangers Rugby League Club supported by Fibrus Play it Forward Fund

The club in Workington recently took part in the prestigious Rhinos Challenge at Butlin’s Skegness – one of the country’s largest junior rugby festivals hosted by Leeds Rhinos.

Thanks to a funding grant from the Fibrus Play It Forward programme, the team was able to travel in style, fully kitted out in new club T-shirts.

Club secretary Vicki MacDonald said it was a proud day for Rangers whose youngsters, aged four to 11, had never taken part in the tournament before.

“I’d noticed Play It Forward, a funding grant from Fibrus, advertised so I applied, and they awarded us some vital funding,” she said. “We used it for our T-shirts for The Rhinos Challenge.

“It made a lot of difference because, Workington, is in a deprived area. There isn’t a lot of money, and we didn’t have a lot of money as a club to provide funding.

It made us really proud, and our players actually grew that weekend because they were playing in front of people that they didn’t know.

“It made us more of a club. All these other clubs have been before. We haven’t. And because we all look the same in our T-shirts, it gave us a bit more pride.”

Linda McMillan, Chief People Officer at Fibrus, said: “We are committed to playing a role in improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people, so investing in local communities is important to us. Our Play It Forward Fund is just one way we do this.

“I’m delighted to see a new batch of clubs benefitting from the Fund’s second year in Cumbria, including the Derwent Park Rangers. We had a fantastic response this year, and we are excited to see how our funding helps the clubs we’re supporting in Cumbria. Sports and clubs are at the heart of the communities where we operate, and we want to support these communities as widely as we can.”