Month: March 2022

At Canterbury RFC this past month we have been absolutely staggered by the immense generosity shown by our rugby family, our local community across Kent, and our wider sporting community for those who are suffering in Ukraine.

A manifested 450 boxes and bags have been collected at the Marine Travel Ground as part of a campaign started by our principle partner Marine Travel, sorted by a collective of staff from Marine and volunteers from within our rugby club, and loaded into vans which are being driven by England football fans to Poland where they will be distributed and destined for all corners of Ukraine.

We had collected so many bags and boxes of donated clothes, blankets, sanitary products, and medical supplies, that we had to stop accepting donations several days earlier than planned thanks to the absolutely overwhelming response shown by the communities which we are a part of.

Marine Travel’s amazing staff alongside our volunteer force of 14 took three hours to sort and box everything on Friday 25^th. Then on Wednesday 30^th the same group reconvened to load everything into the vans. We cannot thank our volunteers enough for their time and effort, and we cannot praise the staff of Marine Travel enough for their stalwart commitment to sorting and manifesting everything which was received.

We have united as a club, as a county, and as a sporting community, around the horrific events taking place in Ukraine currently.

Additionally, across two campaigns, one by our partner at BRS Education and the one by Marine Travel, we have raised (so far) a total of £28,467 (Twenty-eight-thousand, four-hundred, and sixty-seven GBP) going to support those in Ukraine.

We cannot thank our principal partner Marine Travel or our partner BRS Education enough for the work they are doing to try and better the situations which people are finding themselves locked into.

Thank you all for donating to our collection, we had no expectation of filling two of our containers with donations.

Thank you to Marine AFC for joining us across sports and across the country in supporting Ukraine.

Thank you to our many volunteers who helped to sort and load everything.

Thank you to England football fans, for driving the massive quantities from our club all the way to Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini.

If you wish to join us in our continued support of Ukraine you can do so by donating to the Marine Travel GoFundMe or BRS Education’s JustGiving

In an effort to reach the carbon net-zero target by 2050 the UK is committed to planting millions more trees. 

Canterbury RFC applied for a selection of trees through The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC): Plant a Tree for the Jubilee initiative. This is a tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Everyone across the UK is being invited to plant trees from October 2021, when the tree planting season begins, through to the end of the Jubilee year in 2022. 

Through this scheme, Woodland Trust supplied us with 2 boxes of Medium Year Round Colour and one Small Copse. Woodland Trust has been generously funded by Sainsbury’s, Lloyds Bank, Ovo Energy, DFS, Joules, Bank of Scotland, and Sofology to give away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.

A work party of John, Dave, Rob, and Sally arrived at the club at 8 am on March 16th and after a couple of hours work planted, caned, and protected all of the saplings which we received along the far side of the orchard pitches, and along the bottom edge also.

The saplings will grow into a gorgeous mix of silver birch, rowan, wild cherry, hazel, and dogwoods.

When grown these trees will not only provide climate protection, but berries for birds, autumn colour, and in leaf berry, and bark displays.

At CRFC we are doing our bit, to help the climate, local wildlife, and the visual impact of the club.

To find out more about QGC, please visit their website.

Two sports clubs at opposite ends of England are joining forces to support Ukraine and bring help to the unfolding refugee crisis. Canterbury Rugby Club and the Marine Football Club in Liverpool are jointly supporting an initiative by the Canterbury-based Marine Travel Company. The company is principal sponsor of both clubs. It is being driven by Marine Travel’s Managing director, Dave Thompson, who is actively assisting in the supply of vital materials to the people of Ukraine.

It is hard to move without being exposed to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine. The conflict has shocked and mobilised in equal measure. The political landscape is in the balance due to the protagonists involved, but that should not sway us from our moral obligation of offering support and comfort to the innocents caught up in the constant bombardment and uncertainty the Ukrainians currently find themselves in.

We must use all platforms available to us to advocate for a peaceful and humanitarian resolution. Sport has always been a global unifying voice and in this spirit, Canterbury RUFC and Marine FC have come together to support an initiative being driven by Marine Travel Managing Director Dave Thompson, sponsor of both teams.

At Canterbury RUFC warm clothes can be donated to be despatched to Krakow in Poland and distributed amongst the ever-growing populations of Ukrainian refugees seeking to escape the devastation unfolding in their country.

Online, a Go Fund Me page has been set up to collect financial donations that will be directly used to ease the suffering of those caught up in a situation not of their own making or design.

Both clubs will use their considerable online influence to promote Dave’s efforts to ensure we are doing more than just listening to what is happening but doing our part to join hands and help those in need.

Both clubs’ Chairmen stand united in their support.

“Team sport is reliant upon individuals to pull together to achieve their overall performance. The current circumstances in Ukraine highlight this. We must all be together to achieve.

Through one person, Dave Thompson, President of Marine AFC and Principal Sponsor of both Marine and Canterbury RFC, united through his company Marine Travel both Clubs are pleased to be supporting his initiative to bring much-needed aid and humanitarian supplies to war-torn Ukraine. Please visit either Club’s website or donated financially through the Go Fund Me link”
Giles Hilton MBE, Canterbury RUFC Chairman

“At this time, we need to stand together to support the people of Ukraine who are facing such terrible circumstances, and Canterbury RUFC and Marine FC are united in the message that we all need to do what we can to help what is a dreadful situation which in 2022 should not be happening.

Marine FC and Canterbury RUFC are both sponsored by Marine Travel and MD Dave Thompson who is actively assisting to provide aid in the supply of vital materials to the people of Ukraine at the borders of Poland and Ukraine.”
Paul Leary, Chairman Marine FC

The Go Fund Me page can be found at this address – https://www.gofundme.com/f/ukraine-supply-support-trip-by-england-fan

Marine FC – https://marinefc.com/

Media contact
Canterbury RUFC – Denys Andrianjafy communications@cantrugby.co.uk

Please help.

As the humanitarian crisis unfolds, it is difficult to envisage the hardship the innocents caught up in the conflict are having to endure on an hour to hour, and even minute to minute basis. The uncertainty of where safe corridors for evacuation are, and if they are even safe, how families can keep warm and feed themselves to stave off exhaustion, and whether civilians can have the slightest moment of respite as the invading juggernaut rolls ever closer.

It is heart-warming to see how many have stepped up to either make their voices of protest heard or provided supplies and support to be sent directly to those in need. Our Principal Sponsor, Marine Travel, is one such organisation, and Canterbury Rugby Club is proud to support their appeal and effort.  We are collecting warm clothing for all ages, and blankets to be taken to Krakow and distributed amongst the tens of thousands of refugees who have had to flee their homes often, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Men, women, and children fearing for their lives and that of their loved ones, forced to abandon their homes and throw themselves at the mercy of neighbouring countries and agencies in the hope of finding safety, security, and an opportunity to rebuild their lives. Time is critical and there is a need to mobilise quickly to get aid to those who need it the most.

There will be a drop-off point at the Marine Travel Ground, Merton Lane North, Canterbury,  CT4 7DZ. It will be open from Monday 14th March till Saturday 19th March.

Drop-off time between 8.30 am and 7.00 pm. The collection point will be located under the covered area of the clubhouse and clearly signposted.

Please ensure that your donations are washed and clean.

If you also have any spare Dollars or Euros, please bring them too as that will go towards the purchase of perishables once the clothing parcels reach Krakow. You will be able to hand them in to the Staff at our club restaurant Saucy Flo’s, Tuesday to Saturday – 8.00 am – 12.00 pm and 6.00 pm – 8.00 pm

If you cannot make it to the club, yet still wish to donate, Dave Thompson, Managing Director of Marine travel, has set up a Go Fund Me page. To donate, please go to  – https://bit.ly/ukraine-go-fund-me

Thank you for all of your support and continued generosity.