Heathens looking forhelp with clubhouse

areham Heathens commercial manager Dave Tyson, left, clubhouse bar manager John Cole, middle, and Bernie Rhodes, director of rugby, right, in the clubhouse which is undergoing a revamp.

Members of Fareham Heathens Rugby Club, along with friends and family are devoting this weekend to ripping out the insides and remodelling the clubhouse, in Cams Alders, to make it more welcoming to the home team, supporters and visiting teams.

They have been awarded a £500 grant from NatWest RugbyForce towards the work.

Director of rugby Bernie Rhodes said: ‘We are a community-based rugby club offering rugby and social activities to all age groups, abilities and genders.

‘We retain pride in our heritage and this is reflected in our club name – former dwellers of Locks Heath who have now settled in Fareham.

‘The clubhouse will look great once it’s finished but we still have lots to do.

‘As with most things we are working on a shoestring budget.

‘The NatWest RugbyForce weekend, this weekend, will see lots of painting and decorating, cleaning and general tidying up and we are still looking for volunteers to come up to the club and help out.

‘We have approached some local companies with a request for help by way of donations of materials, and hope that we can develop those local ties of support for each other.

‘It would be great to see the community coming down to help out this weekend.’

The 1st and 2nd senior XVs will start the coming season in the Hampshire First Division.

They also have successful ladies touch and mixed touch teams, as well as mini, junior and veterans teams.

NatWest RugbyForce is a partnership between England Rugby and NatWest, and is designed to offer grassroots clubs across the country advice and support to ensure they thrive as sustainable businesses.

To volunteer this weekend, or to find out about joining the club, go to pitchero.com/clubs/farehamheathensrfc.