Community Rugby Coaching “Kicks Off” thanks to HERO funding

A rugby club based in the Highlands has been reaching out and inspiring young budding players thanks to the work of a new Community Rugby Coach they’ve appointed with support from The Highland Council’s HERO employment programme.

Andy Mair has joined Ross Sutherland Rugby Club as a Community Coach, based in Sutherland and has been busy coaching school pupils across the area.

He said: “Working with Ross Sutherland Rugby has been a great experience, coaching in some of the schools that I attended and in a sport that I love.  Coaching the kids in the local schools has been a fantastic opportunity and seeing them coming back to rugby each week gives me motivation to do more. I would like to thank HERO funding for supporting me and Ross Sutherland Rugby in the Sutherland schools.”

Andy Mohun from the Ross Sutherland Community rugby Team said: “Ross Sutherland Rugby Club has the largest catchment of any club in the UK.  We have often struggled to cover the region’s schools due to travel limitations from Invergordon. We are also aware that many families cannot afford to attend training and events due to travel costs and lack of public transport.  Having a community rugby coach based in Sutherland has been on the top of our wish lists. Thanks to the support of HERO funding, we are now able to manage it. We are so grateful for the help from HERO in achieving our goal and supporting pupils and families in Sutherland.”

HERO is funded by The Highland Council and the Scottish Government under the No One Left Behind and Young Person's Guarantee Funding Streams Through the scheme businesses and organisations can apply for grants up to £6,000 for supporting someone into employment. 

Anyone interested in finding out more about the HERO scheme and how it may help their business can do so by visiting www.highland.gov.uk/hero