Foundation Matchday is back!

The Saracens Foundation will be taking over the Saracens vs London Irish game on Sunday 23rd January to raise some important funds for the charity. Foundation Matchday happens twice a season where we take over a home game and turn it into a day of fundraising and it’s one of the most important days in the Foundation’s calendar!

On the day, outside, you can check out some activities we run in a typical session and even get involved and if you have any spare change, look out for our buckets on the gates at the end of the game!

The Foundation is so reliant on the generosity of it’s supporters to keep our work up and running in the community, especially now coming out of the pandemic, with the challenges facing the most socially isolated groups. We work with the most vulnerable people in the community, many of whom have been seriously impacted by the pandemic both physically and mentally so keeping our projects running and connecting with people has never been more important.

We have a number of ways of funding programmes such as grants, trusts, corporate partnerships, individual donations and events. Fundraising events, like Foundation Matchday, and individual donations are particularly important for our programmes that are unfunded as they are sustained with this unrestricted fundraising.

Come and see us on Sunday 23rd to learn more about our work or if you’d like to donate, please click below!

Donate Here!

Saracens Foundation’s Rugby 4 Life project has restarted with 6 events after nearly 18 months away due to the Covid 19 Pandemic.

The rugby festivals restarted in full force with two events being held at Letchworth RFC, working alongside the always helpful Herts Sports Partnership. The first festival on September 28^th started with some excellent work by the year ten students of The Knights Templar school, who provided 13 sports leaders to help officiate and time keep. With schools arriving and the excitement building, the games kicked off and there was some fantastic rugby on display from the 236 year 5/6 students.

This trend followed on festival day 2 with again 214 year 3/4 students, this time the sports leaders being provided by The Priory school in Hitchin.

The Saracens Foundation started their own festivals with a back to back event held at Welwyn RFC. Over the two days the festivals saw over 280 children getting involved, with many students expressing an interest in playing rugby full time either at Welwyn RFC or at a rugby club closer to home. Alongside this we had 18 fantastic sports leaders being trained by our Saracens Foundation coaches at Monks Walk school in Welwyn.

The last of the Rugby 4 Life festivals were held at Harpenden RFC and Hertford RFC respectively. With these festivals, we experimented with a new format so that teams could enter in to either “aspire and develop” or “compete” festivals. Splitting the festival in this way meant that schools who have little-to-no rugby experience have the chance to play against teams that are at a similar level to them. This opens the door for students who have not played the game before and gives them the opportunity to play for the school. The “compete” festival is aimed at schools/ players who have played rugby for some time and are looking for that harder challenge. For Hertford we also ran two new styles with small and rural schools being entered in to their own competition with medium and large schools in their own.

There was a lot of great rugby on display, and it was a real pleasure to see young people back playing some sport after a long 18 months without. This was seconded by some staff members who attended the festivals with their schools: 

“Good fun with no pressure, friendly play”- Teacher who attended Harpenden Festival.

 “Some children played today who had never represented the school before” Teacher who attended Harpenden festival.

 “Learned good skills such as teamwork and sportsmanship”– Teacher who attended Welwyn festival.

As a result of these festivals, we have been able to engage with 1173 students, 73 sports leaders and 3 rugby clubs.

All of this wouldn’t have been possible with the help of the school games organisers, Hertford, Harpenden and Welwyn rugby clubs, and lastly the teachers and students that attended the festivals and made them so enjoyable.

Partners launch Empower Her project for local young women playing grassroots and professional sport in North London and Hertfordshire

 New 12-month project will provide 30 young women with the opportunity to gain qualifications and experience to support them in developing leadership roles through sport.

• The course will include a mentoring scheme, matching young amateur sportswomen with elite players from both Saracens Women’s Rugby and Mavericks Netball teams
• Saracens Women’s Rugby captain, Lotte Clapp and Mavericks netball captain, Sasha Corbin will open the programme and participate as mentors.
• The launch comes amid the need to boost female representation in top sports jobs, with only 30% of board positions at national governing bodies held by women. *

Saracens Foundation, the charitable arm of Saracens, and Shawbrook Bank have launched a new leadership programme for young women in North London and Hertfordshire designed to inspire the next generation of female leaders through sport.

Empower Her will involve 30 participants including 15 young women aged 16-25 from amateur sports clubs in the region and 15 elite sports women from Saracens Women’s Rugby and Mavericks Netball teams.

Offering a unique combination of skills workshops, access to inspirational leaders and practical application with the opportunity to gain a formal qualification at the end, the project is also structured to match each amateur sportswoman with a mentor from the elite teams.

The launch comes amid the need to boost female representation in top sports jobs. Research by Women in Sport found that only 30% of board positions at national governing bodies are held by females, who also make up just 10% of the UK’s high performance coaches.*

The first 12-month scheme was launched by Saracens Women’s Rugby Captain, Lotte Clapp and Mavericks Netball Captain, Sasha Corbin – both mentors on the programme – at an event at the club’s StoneX Stadium in Hendon, London on Wednesday 22^nd September.

The course will focus on developing a mix of personal, leadership and business skills and is designed to fit around the participants’ work and other education commitments. It will be delivered primarily online with monthly in-person workshops delivered by a host of inspirational female leaders in sport including Saracen’s chairperson Lucy Wray; author, broadcaster and Women’s Sport Trust trustee Sue Anstiss MBE; and professional wheelchair tennis player Lauren Jones.

The programme is funded by Shawbrook Bank and free for participants.

Charlie White, development manager at the Saracens Foundation, said: “We run over 30 programmes designed to address a broad range of challenges that impact our community. Gender equality and social mobility are both issues that continue to hold people back from fulfilling their potential are we’re deeply passionate about tackling them.

“Working with Shawbrook Bank to develop the Empower Her programme, we believe we can make a real difference for local young women, providing them with an opportunity to build the skills they need to become the leaders of tomorrow.

“The project will provide a balanced mix of mentoring and workshops that will help to inspire and equip this group of young women to excel in their future careers.”

Jo Grobel, head of CEO Office at Shawbrook Bank, said: “The incredible work that the Saracens Foundation delivers across the region resonates with all of us at Shawbrook. We set out to make a difference together and we’re incredibly proud to be working with them on this new project by not only funding it but also playing an active part throughout.

“We’re also excited by the culmination of the programme, which will see our participants deliver a charity touch-rugby tournament at the StoneX, giving them not just the practical experience of organising, promoting and delivering a major event, but in helping to fund the project next year as Empower Her is designed to be financially self-sustaining.

“Empower Her has the potential to make a big impact and to unlock real opportunity for all those involved, which we couldn’t be prouder to support.”

Shawbrook Bank entered into a multi-year partnership with Saracens in April as the club’s official banking partner, the first principal sponsor to support all three elite teams and the Saracens Foundation.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

 Shawbrook Bank: david.bertram@citypress.co.uk 07708 911 622

 Notes to editors  

 *According to Women In Sport, Beyond 30% report 2018.

 About the Saracens Foundation

The Saracens Foundation was founded out of a need…

Since 2000, the charity has been working across Hertfordshire and North London with the aim of transforming lives on and off the pitch to build stronger communities.

It works collaboratively to enhance the education, employability and health of our communities, to build a stronger and more inclusive society for all. Its programmes address specific social needs within our community by encouraging increased participation in sport and physical activity; breaking down barriers to participation for specific excluded groups, developing interventions to address health issues and developing pathways into education and employment.

https://www.saracenssportfoundation.org/

 About Shawbrook Bank

Shawbrook is a specialist UK savings and lending bank founded in 2011 to serve the needs of SMEs and individuals in the UK with a range of lending and saving products. We are a growing UK specialist bank that challenges the conventional approach of the mainstream banks, with our thoughtful and good-sense approach to the way we do business.

Proudly Different.

www.shawbrook.co.uk

BNP PARIBAS PARTNER WITH THE SARACENS FOUNDATION – TRANSFORMING LIVES ON AND OFF THE FIELD

The Saracens Foundation are delighted to announce BNP Paribas as Project Partners for the long running ‘Get Onside – Feltham’ project.

After supporting the project with volunteers and fundraisers over the last four years, BNP Paribas teamed up with the Saracens Foundation as a ‘Project Partner’ – providing the crucial funding needed to support the Foundation to run the Get Onside – Feltham project.

BNP Paribas see ‘social mobility’ as a key tool in their ongoing commitment to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and believe the partnership with the Saracens Foundation is a huge step towards these ambitions.

To celebrate the launch of the partnership, BNP Paribas held a launch event to talk about the Get Onside – Feltham project and hear from representatives from Saracens, a former graduate of the project, and former player / champion of the Get Onside project – Will Fraser.

In an emotional and thought-provoking call, recently released graduate of the project ‘D’, spoke about his time on the course: “I think the thing that sticks out for me the most is that I’ve been out of prison for nearly eight months now and I’m still involved in a course that I did for eight weeks… How much Saracens Foundation have done for me and my life; I wouldn’t be where I am now without Saracens… I could get a long way on my own, I could, but in that eight weeks it changed my life around.”

‘D’ also spoke about the need for private sector organizations like BNP Paribas to support initiatives like this one: “It’s only right for [the private sector] who are in a position to support and help to do that, because if you help someone else grow you help yourself grow. That’s just how life happens.”

As part of the Partnership, BNP Paribas staff will also be supporting the project through volunteering and mentoring on the upcoming courses at HMP Feltham. Making sure their impact goes further than just a financial contribution.

Nick Gourlay – Senior Development Manager for the Saracens Foundation says: “BNP Paribas have been keen supporters of our projects for a long time, so it’s great to be able to announce BNP Paribas as Project Partners with our Get Onside – Feltham project. The project is a reflection of everything we want to be at the Foundation and it’s great for an organization like BNP Paribas who have such similar values to come on board and support us in continuing the project. Without the support of BNP Paribas we would struggle to continue the work we’ve been doing in HMP Feltham which is so important in transforming the lives of some of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in our society.”

Maggie started Love to Dance at Whitehill, Welwyn at the very beginning.  She was there the very first session 11 years ago. Maggie said, ‘Our dance teacher was brilliant – welcoming, enthusiastic and eager to teach us beginners – some, including me, with little or no dance experience, Her fun lessons inspired us all and for me Thursday dance classes were the highlight of the week’. 

Not content with just Thursday Maggie joined Tuesdays at Ludwick too.

Maggie heard about Love to Dance through a leaflet drop in the village of Welwyn where she lives. She was keen to go along from the start but hesitant because of the lack of dance experience but it was something she had always wanted to do. Maggie said ‘I was always one of the first ‘strutting my stuff’ at parties and weddings! I remember being very shy and nervous at the first session, but we were quickly put at our ease by the Love to Dance teacher. It was the beginning of many new friendships and fun and even performances at Christmas parties and Wembley stadium, Allianz stadium and London stadium, proudly wearing our Saracens t-shirts!’

During Lockdown Maggie found it hard not being able to attend her Love to Dance classes and see her family. Having a son and 3 grandchildren who live in Australia who she usually visits once a year was not possible, and also a daughter who lives in Kent Maggie has felt quite lonely. But on the positive side she is a keen walker and enjoys this with her partner doing lots of walks and keeping bust with her allotment.

 Maggie found our online classes quite hard to do due to poor hearing and impaired eyesight due to a cataract but Maggie did take part in some of our pre-recorded #TogetherActive sessions classes which helped her keep in touch and she did some of the fitness classes which she really enjoyed. During the lockdowns, Maggie kept in touch with some of her Love to Dance friends who she was able to see and chat and phone calls which helped her stay in touch. Maggie said ‘Everyone has been so thoughtful about keeping in touch and looking forward to a return to classes’.

 Maggie was a little nervous and apprehensive about mixing in a group again when returning after the lockdown and felt this was dealt with in a very cautious way – well distanced and with open doors and windows for ventilation, which gave her the confidence to return.  Maggie enjoyed seeing her so many smiles, such happy faces and even some newbies.

 Maggie said ‘Love to Dance has brought fun, happiness and such pleasure into my life and is such a fantastic way to hopefully stay fit in body and mind. I remember Arlene Phillips on my treasured visit to Pineapple studios acclaiming dance as the top exercise for both’. 

 If you, like Maggie loves to dance and would like to join a class, please contact clarebellchambers@saracens.net to find our more information.

The Saracens Foundation is delighted to announce a new Principal Partnership with StoneX and City Index!

StoneX and City Index have come on board for four years as principal partner, supporting the charity as a whole and championing Get Onside – The Mount.

We are really excited by the energy and enthusiasm of StoneX and City Index and are incredibly grateful for their support of our work. The Foundation feels that this partnership will make a huge difference to the community and having such an engaged partner will be extremely positive for our participants and projects moving forward!

The Saracens Foundation works across North London and Hertfordshire communities which are facing more challenges than ever in light of Covid-19, and we feel that this new partnership will be instrumental in creating positive change. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to partner with StoneX and City Index and look forward to changing lives as a result.