Harrowells sponsors community rugby coaching in Thirsk

Rugby coaching support for schools in North Yorkshire is getting a boost this autumn, thanks to new sponsorship for Thirsk Rugby Union Football Club’s community programme.

Skills training provided by Thirsk RUFC for local schools and women’s rugby is to be stepped up after North and East Yorkshire law firm, Harrowells Solicitors, has helped tackle the funding of a community coach by contributing to his salary and expenses.

Sponsorship from Harrowells, which has an office in  Finkle Street, Thirsk and has previously supported junior coaching sessions by providing coaches from Yorkshire Carnegie, Leeds, will support Thirsk RUFC by helping to fund freelance coach, Tim Tombling, in providing outreach activity to feeder schools for Northallerton School and Sixth Form College and Thirsk School and Sixth Form College.

Thirsk RUFC, which is based at Thirsk Racecourse but plans to move to the £4m Sowerby Sports Village, was founded in 1995 and has more than 200 senior and junior members. The club, which is an 02 Touch Centre, has teams for the under sevens upwards as well as Men’s XV, which plays in the Yorkshire Five League. The club is also developing a women’s XV.

Community activity undertaken by the club through its  external coaching includes helping local primary and secondary schools to adopt rugby, encouraging school pupils to attend the club to watch games for their age group, assisting with the development of women’s rugby and running holiday rugby camps. Tim Tombling’s work also involves setting up satellite rugby clubs at participating schools where pupils also get chance to take part in fitness sessions at Thirsk RUFC.

Club chairman, Charles Allen, says: “Harrowells Solicitors support will allow us to continue and extend our community coaching. We aim to help every sector of the community wanting to play rugby by ensuring that they receive appropriate support.

“Working with schools helps pupils be active and develop team working and social skills as part of their personal and sporting development.”

Harrowells Solicitors' commercial partner in Thirsk, Paul Burkinshaw, a former Headingley RUFC and Yorkshire Carnegie second row forward, who works widely as a dispute resolution specialist in the local agricultural community, says: “Playing rugby union is fantastic for children for the fun of playing a fast-moving and exciting game and also for building skills which can last the rest of their lives.

“As a result, we’re delighted to sponsor Thirsk RUFC’s community coaching as a way of helping families throughout this part of North Yorkshire.”