First and foremost, on behalf of all the Committee, I send our best wishes to you and your loved ones and hope that you are remaining safe and well throughout these challenging times.

Just a few weeks ago, we should have been celebrating the end of the 2019/20 season, which saw our 1st XV perform exceptionally. Nick and his coaching team worked their magic and the lads finished in an impressive 7th place in London 1 South, our first season at this level. Our 2nd XV playing in the Surrey Premiership league for the first time also had a great season finishing mid table. The Barbarians had great numbers all season and will be looking to build on that in the league next season. Last but by no means least our Mother Ruckers had an increasingly successful first season and we are looking forward to see them build on this next.

Our Junior and Mini section continues to be one of the strongest in the area. Although many of our mini and juniors have been robbed of the opportunity to play in various Festivals and to go on tour, their results in fixtures across the season show that our minis and juniors, in both boys and girls teams, remain in rude health.

I would like to remind all members that the club and the grounds are closed and training or matches are not permitted. This is a requirement placed on us by the government and we will keep you informed should this change.

We would normally hold our AGM at this time of year. The Committee decided to delay this until later in the summer when hopefully we can do this face to face in the Clubhouse. We held a virtual meeting on Tuesday 19th May and this was agreed by those present on behalf of the membership.

The Committee has been looking at how we are organised going forward given the growth we have experienced over the last few years and the future opportunities. We have decided to set up Sub-Committees, reporting into the Main Committee. We need to spread the workload and provide opportunities for get others in the Club involved in running the Club. We will provide further information at the AGM. In the interim, we will kick off these Sub-Committees with the following people taking the lead

* Playing – Michael Fisher and Nick Stocker
* Development/Maintenance – Rob Plinston
* Commercial – Richard Ordidge
* Financial – John Hasson

Please let me or any of the Sub-Committee leads know if you would like to know more and volunteer!

As a Committee, we fully appreciate and understand the responsibility we have to stay connected with our members, sponsors and Horsham community, which is why I would like to provide a wider update to you.

I’m sure you will of heard that Adam Harman was particularly ill in hospital with COVID-19 and I’m delighted to say he is back home and on the mend, our very best wishes to Adam and his family. The Girls section put together a video as a message of support whilst he was in hospital which I know was very much appreciated. The Barbarians decided they too would make their own version with pretty hilarious results. I’ve added links below to both for your enjoyment.

Ladies & Girls

Barbarians

Ollie Russell who plays for the under 10s and suffers with alopecia decided to “ brave the shave” after it became increasingly worse and to raise money for Alopecia UK at the same time.

Along with his best friend Archie Halsey ( under 10s) and a few other friends and family they have raised over £3000 pounds.

Alopecia is an autoimmune condition. The immune system which normally protects the body from foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria, mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, which then leads to hair loss. Approximately 2 in 1000 people in the UK alone suffer from Alopecia and 147 million worldwide.

Archie Halsey, son of Adam our 1st XV forwards coach, is raising money in support of Alopecia UK, following his best friend age 9 feeling self conscious due to the condition. Adam and Archie have shaved their heads to support him with very impressive results.

Ollie Russell Just Giving Page

As you will have seen, much focus in the media has been on the financial sustainability of sports clubs and organisations, both in the professional and amateur game. Financially, our current position is sound. And whilst we have lost revenue generating opportunities, thanks to the excellent work and financial prudence of our Treasurer John Hasson, the Committee are confident that the Club is in good shape in the medium term.

One significant contribution to this financial security has been a HDC Small Business Rates Grant of £25,000. Thanks to the work of our Commercial Manager Richard Ordidge, the monies are already in the Club’s account and will ensure that the Club remains financially stable in the coming months.

I do need to make it clear, that this does not mean that we can now sit back and relax. There are a significant amount of costs that the Club incurs monthly. So it is absolutely vital that we continue to maintain the support of our sponsors and that, your commitment to the Club in terms of your monthly membership fees is maintained.

I am sure that I speak on behalf of you all when I say how much we desperately miss the social side of this wonderful Club. The camaraderie is what makes it such a special environment to be a part of and I know that many of you have been engaging with each other ‘virtually’ in the past few months.

Finally, I urge you to keep an eye on our website and social media channels for updates and new initiatives as we do all in our power to help you navigate through this period.

Stay safe, stay in contact and most importantly, stay well.