Llandeilo RFC was one of 25 clubs to have received a grant of between £250 and £5,000 from Natwest, the aim of which is to bring the wider community together to improve each club’s facilities ahead of the new season.
Now in its fifth year, the weekend sees club members and volunteers all chip in to the benefit of their club. Priestland was just one of a number of volunteers who helped Llandeilo RFC to decorate their changing rooms ahead of some major renovations on their drainage system in the coming months.
“It’s great to come back to the club where I first started playing rugby,” said Priestland.
“All the juniors have turned up and a few of the old faces and they’re all helping out to spruce the place up a bit.
“My relationship with the people hasn’t changed since I was playing here and it never will do.”
Out of the 90 plus clubs who took part in the NatWest RugbyForce event, Llandeilo RFC’s application was rewarded with a grant from the bank, one which will be of vital importance to the future of the club.
“We’re using the grant to improve the club house’s drainage and we intend to proceed with that over the close season,” said Alun Davies, Project Manager and Junior Chairman at Llandeilo RFC.
“We’ve got our junior players, senior players and committee members down here helping to give the entire club a tidy up.
“We’re giving the club a revamp before looking to sort out the drainage. The building has served us very well but it’s 13 years old now and with nine junior teams, youth teams and two senior teams, we can have up to 250 people playing at the club.
“Things get worn out and so we applied for a grant and we’re really pleased to have it.
“The money will go a long way to keep not only us going but also the whole of the grass roots game in Wales.”
Speaking at the club, Priestland added: “There are a lot of juniors here today and that’s a great credit to the club and also to the success of the Welsh national team.
“It’s what gets youngsters coming down to local clubs so long may that continue.”
Mark Douglas, NatWest Regional Director for Wales, said: “Rugby is important to everyone in Wales and we value what it brings to the people here.
“The NatWest RugbyForce programme helps bring everyone together and aims to help clubs become stronger businesses by improving and renovating their facilities with the support of volunteers and the community.
“Later on in the summer we will also be offering clubs the opportunity to attend a free workshop to offer support and guidance on how to plan and manage facility improvement projects with the aim of making clubs more viable and sustainable in the long term.”
For more information on the NatWest RugbyForce go to www.wru.co.uk/natwestrugbyforce.
