Colchester & District Sports Council has awarded Colchester Rugby Club a grant of £500 to spend on safety and training equipment for their mini and youth section.

Arthur Cade, President of the Sports Council, handed over the cheque to Mini Rugby Chair Amanda Armstrong at a ceremony when hundreds of youngsters aged five to 18 were playing and training. Colchester has one of the biggest and most successful mini and youth sections in the south of England, and the national team’s success in the Rugby World Cup has seen a big increase in the number of children who want to take up the game.

“We were prepared for the surge in interest” said Director of Rugby, Andrew Sarek, “But it has highlighted that some of our training equipment needs replacing and that not everyone can afford to buy protective wear.”

The grant from the Sports Council will help the club renew and extend its range of equipment, and buy equipment to lend to those who have not got their own. Colchester recently became the first club in the London North region, which includes Essex and the Eastern Counties, to be granted the RFU Seal of Approval and the Sport England Clubmark.