Projects

Hunslet Warriors Rugby League Club

Completed: 2022
Location: Leeds
Region: Yorkshire & The Humber
Other local partners: Dulux, Rugby League World Cup, Sport England, Travis Perkins Leeds Coal Road

About the project

Hunslet Green Community Sports Club, the home of Hunslet Warriors Rugby League Club, has been a hub for local people in the South Leeds area, providing opportunities to play rugby from under 6 right through to adult level, and has more than 1,500 members on its books. As well as providing training facilities, it has a bar and a function space, which is used by a church group every Sunday.

With a desire to make the club more inclusive to female players, and those with disabilities, Rugby League World Cup’s CreatedBy programme was the perfect opportunity to make this happen, ahead of the delayed championship hosted by England in 2022.

The project: over the course of several weeks, we converted a disused male changing room into their first female changing room, implemented a new physio room and match day kitchen, and redecorated existing changing rooms and the entrance to give the club a glow-up.

The young people: 60 young people from the local area over the course of several weeks, including 23 from Broomfield Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre

The impact:

  • Works will enable this club, run solely by volunteers, to boost its revenues and reach more members in one of the most deprived parts of Leeds
  • Ground floor kitchen for wheelchair access and players with injuries/unable to walk up stairs – fitted with an outdoor hatch to help boost their revenue on match days
  • Separate changing room created for growing teams of female players, referees and touch judges
  • New physio room to serve the needs of players and local people
  • Strong mentoring experience for four Peer Mentors on their six month placement with VIY through the UK Government’s Kickstart Scheme
  • Read about the project here in the Yorkshire Evening Post

Accreditations gained: a whopping 123 City and Guilds accreditations

 

My first project was kind of an eye opener. On my first day I was really nervous because I had never worked with young people. After a few days I was thinking all of those years ago, I was like these kids, learning from someone to improve my skills. My favourite part was at the end of the day I would ask the kids if they enjoyed themselves and learnt anything that day, and with a big smile, they would say 'YES’. Matloob Hashmi, first-time VIY Mentor
The volunteers on the project were young people from all different walks of life. We had refugees, we had some of the junior rugby team who wanted to do plumbing and we had students with varying levels of learning and sensory disabilities too. Some of the students were quite shy and introverted so as well as teaching them new skills in painting, I needed to learn from them how to go at a pace that worked for them. Towards the end of this project, students from Leeds Building College, who were working towards their City and Guilds qualifications, came to improve their joinery skills by making picnic benches and some worked with me on the painting side improving their application and cutting in skills. Rebecca Marchant, first-time VIY Mentor
For my first time seeing a VIY project in action, it was incredible to see the work being put in by mentors and volunteers to support the young people in their work. The sense of pride and achievement that the kids felt upon completion each day was evident in their enthusiasm to make more progress the next day! Ben Rayner, Nottingham Trent University undergraduate, work experience with Team VIY
The transformation of the Hunslet Green Community Sports Club is a perfect example of how refurbishments - including painting and decorating - of local centres have the power to change lives for the better and bring communities closer together. Alison Furness, CSR Marketing Manager, AkzoNobel UK and Ireland