Tigers get active for Comic Relief and also to help young hearts

[Honor James]

Castleford Tigers Get Active For Comic Relief

Castleford Tigers held a sponsored dance-a-thon in aid of Comic Relief at Sunday’s match against London Broncos. In a change from the norm, participants of the Paws Dance Academy paid a fee to perform and also sought sponsorship in an effort to raise money. Further funds were raised through a bucket collection and £250 worth of Golden Gamble takings were also donated to the cause.

The Tigers Trust is a direct beneficiary of money raised through the Comic Relief charity. In 2012, the trust was awarded a grant of £97,000 to deliver a two year ‘Sport for Change’ programme. The programme works with disadvantaged young females at schools in Castleford and the surrounding districts. Through a range of sport delivery sessions and interactive workshops covering current lifestyle issues such as drug and alcohol awareness, sexual health, teenage pregnancy and community cohesion, the project aims to help participants make more positive and informed choices about their future.

Community Manager for Castleford Tigers and the Tigers Trust, Alex Green said: “Just six months into the delivery stage of the project, Sport for Change has proved incredibly popular with local schools, smashing its targets and reaching 2,000 participants already.

“We ultimately want to raise aspirations as well as increase confidence and motivation of young girls in our area and this innovative project is contributing to doing that. The programme allows us to increase participant’s physical capabilities as well as highlight the social, emotional and mental well-being benefits associated with physical activity.

The exact figure raised through the dance-a-thon is still to be finalized and donations can still be made through the Castleford Tigers Red Nose Day Page: https://my.rednoseda...astlefordtigers

The rearranged Comic Relief Touch Competition will now take place on Wednesday 27th March from 5pm.

People interested in entering a team should contact Keith Bullimore on 07952170426.

Tigers Team Up With Yorkshire Heart Charity To Help Young Hearts

Pupils from Park Juniors, St Benedict's Juniors and Kippax North Juniors were at last weekend's Castleford Tigers vs London Broncos match as part of the 'Tiger Heart Beats' project. Funded by Heart Research UK, the 'Tiger Heart Beats' project aims to improve the Heart Health of Year 5 pupils in local schools by helping them to acquire the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that lead to healthy lifestyle choices.

The project involves four weeks of interactive classroom workshops and physical activity sessions educating pupils on how to take care of their hearts. Alex Green, Community Manager at the Tigers Trust and Castleford Tigers, is delighted to be working with Heart Research UK to deliver this project.

"Our aim is to engage pupils with lifestyle messages they will never forget and with the help of our professional rugby players we are able to provide suitable role models for the children to aspire to. In the few months that the project has been running we have received fantastic feedback and schools are beginning to approach us, having heard about the project. We would once again like to thank Heart Research UK for this wonderful opportunity to work in partnership with them."

Barbara Harpham, National Director at Heart Research UK, says: "Everyone in Castleford knows Castleford Tigers and it's great to see local role models getting involved in helping to spread the Healthy Heart message. Children need to be educated about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and projects like this are a great way of focusing on heart health in a fun and interactive way."

Castleford Tigers

Media Manager