TRT News

Hurstmere School and TRT continuing their links with Zambia

Report by Mark Robinson (Head of Zambia Project –Hurstmere) and Andy Reddy (Teacher and Zambia project leader)

Hurstmere School recently held an open evening to promote their Zambia project with the Tag Rugby Trust.

They used the night to thank sponsors of previous trips, reward students of the 2011 Trip and recruit new students for the 2013 planned trip. Some ex-students from the 2009 tour also attended the evening which was attended by over 150 parents & students. Since that night over 40 students have applied to attend the 2013 trip.

Businesses and Primary schools attended as they have been supportive in Hurstmere’s fund raising efforts and also received some gifts from the head of the project Mark Robinson. The Businesses are Concept Building Solutions; Harlequin and Emerald Building Solutions

An example of the UK Community links made by Hurstmere is Dulverton Primary School who was represented by some teachers. They have been a tremendous source of funding and benefit to the Hurstmere Students. Hurstmere students practice there Tag Rugby Coaching skills with the pupils at Dulverton and other primary Schools in the community, before they travel to Zambia. Dulverton also ran a sponsored fun-run to raise funds towards the project and it is hoped that Dulverton will be linked with a school in Zambia as a result of all their hard work.

The Thomas Mulquin Memorial Fund which is supported by University of Greenwich also made significant donation and helped create legacy in Hurstmere’s community and that of Lusaka in Zambia through the Tag Rugby Trusts programmes. Thomas’s Parents are very pleased with the work that has been done in their son’s name and are happy for the link between the charities to continue.

Hurstmere is also planning on sending a group of teachers to Zambia in February half term to continue the good links the school has and also run some Tag sessions and a tournament to continue that side of their work. The teachers will also be involved in teaching at some of the schools in the area. The Whole School at Hurstmere is now fundraising and has targeted Guardian Angels orphanage school in Chilanga as their main link school. Students have been busy collecting any old clothes and toys for the children at the school for staff to take out in February and on the next tour. The school will also be sending a donation of equipment, including computers and other educational resources as well as teacher education.

Andy Reddy, Hurstmere Teacher on the 2011 tour to Chilanga commented:
“It is a great way for some of our students to experience first-hand some of the things that they see only on TV. The Tag Rugby Trust has set up a fantastic way of including school students in their program. The experiences our students had on both tours will be things which they remember forever. Even when I bump into students from the first tour in 2009, they always mention what a great time they had!

Andy Stringer, the Head teacher at Hurstmere also commented
“Since Hurstmere began working with the Tag Rugby Trust in 2008 for our first student tour in 2009, things have developed massively. All students of Hurstmere are aware of the work which the Tag Rugby Trust aims to achieve, and students and staff alike all want to be part of it in one way or another.