March 2011
Hammers Youth in Middlesex Matters Magazine
It’s fifteen years since I got up at the crack of dawn to watch my kids, who have now all grown up, train for and play mini rugby. I’d forgotten the commitment and enthusiasm, the all-out dedication that youngsters bring to the game before they get diverted by girl or boy friends, alcohol, fashion and clubbing.
So it was a real trip down memory lane to drag myself out of bed at a totally unreasonable hour on a damp, cold February morning to join the coaches and children of Hammersmith and Fulham as they romped through the mud at Hurlingham Park. I was amazed at the numbers of youngsters at the ground. Hammersmith and Fulham have over 250 kids from U5s to U14s turning up each Sunday morning to practice and learn the game. There were probably in excess of 500 coaches, parents and children demonstrating a total dedication to the game.
MoreNick Watkins Help for Heroes charity bike ride
In June this year I will be participating in a 310 mile bike ride through Northern France finishing in Paris in order to raise funds for the charity Help for Heroes. This charity provides support and assistance to our injured servicemen and women when they return home after serving the country. Help for Heroes provides on-site support at the Rehabilitation Centres and Personnel Recovery Centres it is opening across the nation. In addition to this valuable work they fund the Battle Back Challenge Centres and they assist with donations to a separate charity called Combat Stress who look after our service personnel who are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and mental illness as a result of their experiences. I will be extremely grateful for any donation you can make to Help for Heroes.
Click here to donate on my charity page.
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