A team of players descended on Swansea Community Farm on Saturday for a day of volunteering as part of the ongoing Pitch-In campaign, to support worthy causes across Ospreylia.
The players joined in with the Farm's Child and Youth activity day where local young people joined in with a range of farm tasks such as mucking-out, maintenance, woodwork and hedge laying.
The Child & Youth programme develops skills, confidence and knowledge through local youngsters getting stuck in with the running and development of the Farm, its activities and free play opportunities within a safe, supportive and stimulating environment. The young people involved often come from challenging backgrounds and benefit from the outdoor environment, skills training and supportive atmosphere they find at the farm, with funding from BBC Children in Need helping it all to happen.
Alyson Williams, Child & Youth officer at the Farm commented:
“The staff and our regular younger volunteers really enjoyed working with the Ospreys on Saturday. Meeting the players is a real bonus for them and having the opportunity to work alongside them has got them really excited.
“Pitch In is a fantastic opportunity for the players to get stuck in in the local community and as a Farm we need all the muscles and help they can give us! The farm is open to people of all ages and abilities and we are delighted to show off what we offer to the players.”
Andrew Hore, CEO of Ospreys Rugby, said:
“It’s important to us to show that we are a community-minded organisation and to reiterate how important our supporters are to us, which is why out ‘Pitch In’ campaign has proved to be so popular. Our players enjoy getting out and about in the community and engaging with our supporters and we are delighted to be able to meet the young volunteers at Swansea Community farm, and help them with the work that they do.
“Our players are used to getting muddy so it is a refreshing change to be able to do this on a farm instead of a rugby pitch.”
A gallery of images from the visit is available on our Facebook page here.
As part of the Pitch In campaign, the Ospreys are welcoming suggestions for suitable projects, and are asking members of the community to nominate individuals, clubs or organisations that will welcome the assistance.
Do you know anyone who deserves a helping? Email your requests to Ospeyspitchin@ospreysrugby.com