U11s Join Aretians to visit Cotham Park Guys, returning the favour of last week we are to join forces with Aretians for their game with Cotham Park. Wear your North Bristol kit and we'll take it from there. Cotham Park RFC Upper Farm, Beggar Bush Lane Failand, Bristol BS8 3TJ From the M5: Leave at Junction 19 follow signs for Bristol A 369 for approx 3 miles at 2nd set of traffic lights turn right on to the B3129 (follow sign posts for country club) for approx 3/4 mile turning for club sign posted turn right and follow lane to club house. From Bristol: Cross the Clifton suspension bridge and turn right onto the A369 at first set of traffic lights turn left on to the B3129 (follow sign posts for country club) for approx 3/4 mile turning for club sign posted turn right and follow lane to club house. Christmas Party The day stayed dry, bright and crisp and everyone started to turn up with a glint in their eyes Unfortunately the first thing that greeted everyone was Dilly’s car which whilst left overnight at the club and some local layabout had broken the window and stolen his CD player – strangely they left his music behind . This wasn’t to dampen the spirits or our party goers as some were there early, some turned up late, some wimped out of playing and some didn’t’ turn up at all but boy did we have some fun. The adults appeared to be getting spanked everywhere although some of the under 7s parents had an All Black mentality about them and weren’t up to losing to a bunch of Rug Rats. The games continued apace and after being binned due a very dodgy decision by the ref in the U9s game, Phil Fettis came back on as a sub for the children as he had the same kit on and it was causing confusion as the children didn’t know which side he was on. (This may have had something to do with living on the wrong side all his life). Phil immediately turned the tide for the children and the dad’s had to come up with a cunning plan…..as soon as Phil presented the ball on the ground a big oaf (Ben Clark’s dad) dived on top of him along with every one else for a pile on top which bruised Phil’s ribs and ego. So it was back into the club house whereby Phil immediately found the showers hadn’t been turned on with a screech that would’ve made a girl proud but they were soon nice and warm and all of us were clean and shining (except Ben Abbott’s forehead) sitting on the floor waiting for the entertainer. After the entertainer Jane and Dave Harris were presented with a scarf and tie respectively along with a framed certificate from HQ at Twickenham. Becks and the two Jon’s from the U7s accepted their RFU tag rugby certificates and the club presented a Value the Volunteer certificate plus a club shirt in the 1st team style to Alan Stealey as he had now decided to resign his commission after 4 valuable years service to the club. Now it was onto the serious job of munching which was interrupted by a visit from Santa and a raffle. For those who are interested we took £150 on the raffle and £42 on the scratch cards that was wonderfully crafted by Gary Abbot. All proceeds from these two activities will go towards the Minis end of season tour. North Bristol - Runners up - 07 Dec Both Dave Harris and Laurie Heywood attended a Gala awards ceremony at the BAWA club in Filton last night hosted BBC's Geoff Twentyman. North had been nominated for the Sports Link Award and came runners up to the Harriers Gym. This just goes to show that the work the club is doing in the community is not going unnoticed. The main bulk of the nomination was due to the work the club carries out within the Special Needs community but this should not blinker people to the great work the club has done and continues to do within schools. If your school would like a taster session give Phil a call and I'm sure he can get Scott Flanagan to come in as he's well up for it - Well done to the whole team past and present. Pictured here is Dave after he'd signed an autograph for Geoff!!!!   WHAT IS A SUPER SUNDAY? Super Sundays are tailor made coaching sessions held by a team of Bristol players and coaches on the morning of a Bristol Rugby home fixture. Bristol we will bring their coaching team to the club for a 2 hour rugby master class that can be designed to address any aspect of our game. After the master class, players shower, change and refuel. We then head for the ground for a team parade around the ground before kick off and then form the ‘Tunnel of Honour’ for both teams to run through as they take centre stage for the big match. WHAT DO YOU GET ON A SUPER SUNDAY? • 2 hours of top class coaching from Bristol players and/or hand picked Bristol Rugby Super Sunday coaches. • All sessions can be tailor made to fit your team’s requirements. • Entry to the Bristol Rugby match that afternoon. • A team parade round the ground before kick off. • Form the Tunnel of Honour as the players run out. • A goody bag with as much promotional bits as we can lay our hands on. WHAT TIME DOES IT START AND WHAT IS THE ITINERARY? The coaching starts at 10am, so players should look to arrive no later than 9.30am so everyone is ready to start on time. • 9.30am ARRIVE • 10am – 12pm SUPER SUNDAY COACHING • 12pm - 1pm SHOWER, CHANGE & REFUEL • 2pm ARRIVE AT GROUND • 2.30pm PITCH PARADE • 2.50pm TUNNEL OF HONOUR • 3pm KICK OFF This itinerary is based on a 3pm kick off, but should give you a close guide to work from if kick off times are different. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Children tickets are only £15 with the adult tickets an unbelievable £15 for the whole Super Sunday experience. HOW MANY CHILDREN AND ADULTS CAN COME? Normally we make provision for 120 children and 180 adults. However, if your club is particularly big or small please do contact us and we’ll see what we can do. WHICH TEAMS CAN COME ON A SUPER SUNDAY? The Super Sunday’s are designed for all junior rugby sections who want to further their rugby experience. We can cater for teams from the smallest of the mini section all the way up to youth and colts. ’M A PARENT AND WANT TO COME ON THE SUPER SUNDAY AS WELL? No problem, we know that many of our biggest fans are coaches and/or members of local rugby clubs so have provision for 180 adults tickets so it is not only the kids that can enjoy the Bristol Rugby matchday experience. WHAT IF I AM ALREADY A BRISTOL RUGBY SEASON TICKET HOLDER? You have a choice; you are always welcome to come down and watch the Super Sunday coaching session and then you can either watch the game from your usual spot, or as long as you can provide the voucher from your season ticket book we can issue you with a free ticket to watch the game with your team/club mates. If you are a junior season ticket you will have to pay the Super Sunday ticket price as the money goes towards the cost of coaching and your goody bag and not the price of your entry, but at just £15 it is fantastic value and really is a day to remember for a very long time. Community rugby at it's best Wednesday 3rd October started off as a misty and drizzly day at North Bristol RFC but this didn't dampen the spirits of the children who spilled excitedly out of different modes of transport looking forward to an action packed day. In fact 142 children from 16 separate schools from across the four unitary authorities had arrived to take part in the 3rd annual special needs festival. A great day was in store and just goes to show what can be done working in partnership on a very small budget! The children came from both Special and Mainstream schools so included children with Special Needs, ILP or low self esteem. Coaches from North Bristol RFC who took a day's annual holiday were complimented by a host of experienced professionals from RFU community development, Bath Rugby community team, WESPORT community coaches, UWE women's rugby and SSSC0. The day started off with all the children having a mass warm up with all the coaches and then children were given an enthusiastic welcome to rugby given by the coaches. A quick break for lunch was followed by some fast and furious tag rugby. As there were so many children and a very short period of time in which to play games they were split into four pools by school and it was first past the post. Pool A Winners Patchway & Brimsham Green Schools (combined) Pool B Winners Churchill School Pool C Winners St. Michaels School (Stoke Gifford) Pool D Winners Whitfield School Asked about the day Alison Finn WESPORT Inclusion Development Officer said "this year we had twice as many children as last year so we are hoping next year will be even better, we couldn't have managed so well without the assistance of North Bristol Rugby Club. With so many coaches taking a day's holiday it shows just how committed they are to Community Rugby, they're running so many teams they must be exhausted" Dave Harris North Bristol's Junior section chairperson stated "it is a pleasure for us to be able to give these children an opportunity to indulge in a sport that has given us so much, and hopefully they can take away with them the confidence to explore new avenues and achieve greater goals. We are extremely grateful to our friends and colleagues within community rugby, SUDS and WESPORT for their expertise and generosity without whom the day would not have been possible. We pride ourselves in being a family orientated club that promotes an inclusive philosophy regardless of ability and this type of event is hopefully a positive experience for all involved." South Gloucestershire Union of Disability Sports (SUDS) have now asked the club to deliver a regular Special Needs session. Naturally the club has agreed and will deliver its first session on Sunday 14th October. Some coaches attended a training course which was delivered by Matt Donovan of WESPORT whilst John Wheeldon (WESPORT Community Coach and North Bristol member) will lead the session. John has a vast experience of delivering Judo to children with Special Needs and is ultimately the most qualified amongst us. UWE women's rugby have also committed to assist John on a regular basis which is a positive boon for the club as the rapport and understanding shown during the day was fantastic. Go Play North’s Juniors did the club proud by running the tag tournament which quickly descended into a touch tournament when the tag belts for the larger gentleman didn’t turn up. Many thanks go to Matt Skuse, Neil Ford and Dave Harris for refereeing the games and Phil Fettis for setting up the pitches. Thankfully Scott Flanagan ghosted in to act as a ringer for BT especially when the evergreen Phil was shot by a sniper in the bushes (pulled hamstring). All in all a great day which wasn’t matched by England’s display but everyone who took part wants to do it again so that has to be a success. The tournament was won by a bunch of youths from Keynsham who had non standard rugby boots (different colours to black!!!) and a awful lot of gel.     Lance Stonestrong In August David Stone, our very own Indiana Jones look-alike, will be cycling from Bristol to London for Action Medical Research. Action Medical Research, an amazing charity whose achievements include the development of pioneering hip replacement surgery, the testing of the first rubella vaccine, discovering the importance of folic acid in the prevention of spina bifida, and breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, diabetes and Alzheimer's. The ride covers 100 miles. David hopes to cover it in about 8 hours but is riding with Matt 'See you at the top' Eccles and John 'Pipes' McGoo so might do it quicker! The ride will be a lot easier knowing that he’s raising money for such a great cause. Please support him with any donation you can. Every little helps! To sponsor Dave please use this link to his fundraising page Ben and Joe Stones did the Sunwalk last Sunday, walking 10k for cancer charities which I think is an achievement! (I did it too but nobody's impressed with mums walking 10k!) Anyone wanting to make a donation can contact Steve on stevestones@blueyonder.co.uk. Congratualations to Phoebe Budd-Stone who completed her 400meters in the swimming pool. End of Season Fun Day Many thanks to everyone who made the fun day such a barnstorming success. Apart from the few hardy soles who really grafted on the day I think that everyone had a great time and we managed a magnificent sum of £1200 of course this isn't all profit that will come in at approx £900 which again is an increase on the year before. We do need more people to get involved however as everyone must have the chance to enjoy themselves. Don't forget to recycle your kit. It is doubtful that your child's boots will fit next season. If you haven't another child to pass them down to and you're going to bin 'em why not put them into the club's boot locker. Working Party 26th & 27th May A working party is needed to do some jobs around the club on weekend the 26th and 27th May. As many workers as possible are wanted and once all the work is done there will be a BBQ and some free beers on the Sunday. If you can help please contact Dave Harris. Taggersize is go. Taggersize is a summer fitness regime for women only from the age of 11 upwards. This will be run by Michelle Holman on a Sunday Morning 10:30 onwards it is envisaged that we will incorporate an essence of Tag Rugby whilst keeping you fit. read more » RFU Proficiency Awards We have tried unsuccessfully in the past to instigate the RFU Proficiency Awards at North. We intend to try once more in the 2007/2008 Season. Neil Ford will run the scheme and is looking for volunteers to help him read more » Minis Coordinator The club requires a parent from the minis section to become "Minis Coordinator" read more » Minis Fixtures Secretary The club requires a parent from the minis section to become Minis Fixtures Secretary read more » Minis Fundraiser Many thanks go to George Payne. George will be looking at arranging fundraising opportunities throughout the next year. Please join me in thanking her for taking on this role and supporting her with her efforts Meadow For those who are unaware we have been lucky enough to secure the use of the meadow adjacent to North Bristol Rugby Club. What we need to do is to develop this piece of land and the first item on the agenda is to provide access. We have been lucky enough to secure funds to purchase a five bar metal gate but we then need to install it. We are therefore appealing to all builders, fencers etc who will be able to give some of their time to make this happen. Please ring Dave Harris on 07771 902214 to offer your assistance. Minis Tour Many thanks to Gary Abbott who has agreed to look into organising the minis tour/tours for 2008 and he will be requiring assistance. Please ring him on 01454 775 646 This is our club - we make it work. The first answer to 'why don’t they......?' is probably because no-one has volunteered to do it. We need volunteers constantly as coaches (you will be trained), managers, referees, linesmen, first-aiders, people for kit sales, raffle sales, tidying-up, kit washers, setting out the corner flags etc etc. At tournaments we need pitch marshals, scorers, tent erectors, raffle and program sellers, car park attendants, etc etc. This is our club - we make it work. The other answer to "why don’t they.....?" is probably because we can't afford it. We get no subsidies; we raise every penny we spend. In other words join in - we all enjoy it much more! JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE - TAGERSIZE STARTS THIS WEEKEND. If the weather is still bad - we will still train - as we are able to use the inside facilities. Starting at @ 10.30 am Matt Skuse has very kindly offered to provide some games for the kids - so if there are mums that wish to train this weekend and want to bring their kids along please do so - thanks Matt!!! The bar will be open from 12 noon - so friends and families are welcome to use these facilities. We are able to provide food - but can you please give us an indication of what you, your family and kids would like us to provide - ham/cheese salad rolls, bacon sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, chips etc etc. Tea and coffee will be available before and after our training sessions. Should you have anything you wish to ask me - please feel free to contact me after 4pm on the telephone numbers below. I look forward to seeing you all sunday morning. Michelle Holman 07863 163179 01454 882259 Minis Fund Raising. Helen Abbott is selling invitation books which contain hundreds of offers saving thousands of pounds! Once you've looked inside the book, we're sure you will agree that £19.99 for these amazing savings really is worth every penny.For every book sold £4 goes to the club. Ring Helen on 01454 775 646 North Bristol RFC has become the latest Community Rugby Club to be awarded Level II Seal of Approval by the RFU. For the last 18 months the Mini and Junior Section Committee has been spearheading a drive towards achieving the Clubmark award and ultimately are aiming toward Level III accreditation. As you are aware the Seal of Approval scheme is a joint initiative between the RFU, Sport England and the Active Sports programme, designed to raise the standards of youth rugby across the country. North who boast a flourishing mini and junior section had already secured level I accreditation, effectively a kite mark for rugby clubs, for achieving the highest standards in providing a safe, effective and child-friendly environment. The Junior Section has undergone a further a rigorous accreditation programme and we are thrilled to have achieved the necessary standard. North now have more than 120 youngsters, aged between 5 and 19, in their mini and junior section and a community programme to promote the club and rugby in South Glos. This has prompted South Glos representatives to praise North’s progressive outlook. "This is an excellent achievement by everyone at North Bristol RFC to be officially recognised as a club of good practice and also a club which is continually trying to develop," said Dave Harris, North’s Junior Chairman. Bristol RDO James Farndon stated that North’s business plan was the 'benchmark in best practice' and can be used for all the other clubs in the area to follow. This has been an outstanding achievement that has involved every one of Dave Harris’s team but our special thanks go to the Junior Management team who have supported the process and whose continued hard work costing many 'free' hours have been the reason for this success. We all realise that this is an ongoing process and we are already developing things towards level 3. Hopefully this document and the continued progression of children through to adults within the club will be the basis of a long a secure future for North Bristol Rugby Football Club. Five go wild at Cleve On a fine but chilly evening Bristol U20's Combination took to the field in the borrowed strip of Cleeve RFC with Jack Cotter, Joel Phillips and Carl Smith in the starting line up. Even though Bath had their own strip they appeared to be slighter and younger than the Bristol guys. After the first five minutes of sizing each other up Bristol began to run with confidence and unfortunately Bath lost their fly half with a broken nose in his first tackle. Their scrum half also struggled to find his form and passes were not going to hand giving Bristol plenty of advantage. This was capitalised on by the Bristol scrum half scoring from 35 metres leaving several tacklers in his wake. did attempt to strike back but some determined tackling by Carl Smith thwarted any chance of a score. The game began to go the way of the home side with some strong running from deep by Carl linking with his wing and again the Bath defence was lacking. At the line out Jack Cotter was dominating the entire front ball whichever side threw it in, there can't be many jumpers of his calibre in the region let alone Bristol. Joel was having a solid game in the centre drawing his man and timing his pass but not afraid to try a break when he saw the opportunity. Unfortunately Bath never had an answer to the two outstanding players on the night Bristol's scrum half and blind side flanker. These two were constantly rampaging through the defence and the score board ticked over almost without reply. There were rolling replacements and Joe Page came on at second row and Chris Underwood came on at open side to help Bristol to a comfortable victory over their local rivals. A game played in good spirit and despite the hard ground with plenty of wide running. More North boys shine on the glory trail We are delighted to report that Jack Graves North's U14 2nd row has been selected for the Bristol representative side. It doesn't stop there however with Ben Phillips being selected at U16 level (We have a PI trying to unearth some English blood in him). The whole club is naturally over the moon and the boys have set a target for the rest of us to aim for - WELL DONE!!!!! Minis Tour What a great tour….. Firstly I must express mine and the whole minis gratitude to Rich Cattell and to his family for allowing him to spend so much time organising this event.The weather stayed nice and everyone started to turn up under their own steam. Steam was the operative word as a white lion weed all over Ben Edwards’s car for its first wash of the season – still didn’t hide his musk though. With the sun shining and spirits high we all descended upon the leisure Park to sample the delights that the West Midlands finest had on offer. It didn’t take long for disappointment to set in as an expectant queue had to be sent away from a funky rollercoaster ride with Fettis and Adams left stranded and motionless at the top. The hapless pair had to await a nice lady from maintenance to arrive and ignominiously bring them down manually. Comments on the sveltness of the two honed and highly athletic older gentlemen were a tad unfair and only to be trumped by Mr. Cogram being sent away from the Venom ride. Milo and Reece when they took it one step further by falling into the water trying to get out of their boat. The late afternoon saw Mr. Cattell conducting business at the check in desk and Charlie Fettis going missing only to be found sat in the pub waiting for his drink – he get’s it from his mum!! The evening went smoothly with everyone being eventually fed and quite a few parents having watered too much but the kids were having a whale of a time in the safe environment as we had the restaurant to ourselves. Unfortunately Gary Abbott was informed that his father was critically ill and had to return home to Bristol to be by his bedside. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time. The next morning saw us up and at ‘em early in the morning for a stout breakfast in the hotel with some dishevelled looking parents and excited children, where do they get their energy from, and we were off in a dog legged convoy to Wallsall RFC. The effort from the children during the games was immense considering they were very tired and I know it the U10s/U11s had passed the ball they would’ve won but that’s something we need to work on. It was then back to the clubhouse and after a presentation to our hosts the weekend was over as quickly as it started. Once again our thanks to Rich and to all the readers of this who’s going to organise and fundraise for next year. Let’s not shirk and put our hands up and start planning now. Colts Tour The Colts have just returned from Spain where they based themselves for their annual tour. They played two games with mixed results. The first game saw them defeat a side in Barcelona with a positive display of both controlled forward play and when ready some swift back play, dispite the fact that some of the players were out celerbrating until the early hours the night before. The final score was 27-3 with Gareth Charles showing Joel Phillips and Simon Mortimer how to kick a conversion from the touchline. The following morning we managed to get the boys out of bed at 1130 to get on a bus fro a trip to Pardes in France. Sadly the trip took a little time to get over and it was'nt until the second half that the boys competed well. The game ended with the French side 25-5. The after match reception was for me a highlight of the tour with the French showing us just how to host a touring side. I would like to thank Don Mortimer, Dave Harris, Nigel Smith, Steve Derrick, Alex Flaganigan, Chris Underwoood and Pete Guiver for all their hard work in getting the tour off to a great success. There are many other stories but you all know the score. What Goes On Tour, Stays On Tour. lastly I would like to thank all the players who were excellant ambassadors of North Bristol RFC. Combination game Unfortunately the combination game was called off due to the state of the pitches. Watch the Diary Page for the rescheduled date. 5 Colts in Bristol Combination U20s Squad What an honour for North Bristol Rugby club with five of our colts having been selected for the Bristol Combination U20s Squad who take on their Bath counterparts this week. Jack Cotter (second row), Rob Collins (No 8), Joel Phillips (centre) and Carl Smith (full back) have all been selected for the starting XV with Joe Page (second row) on the bench. This is a great testament to the North Bristol conveyour belt that is the Junior Section. Well done to guys for all their hard work and persistance and also that of the coaching staff who have got them there - yes you Mr Smith & co. When : 28th February 2007 Where : Cleve RFC - Mangotsfield What time : Kick off 7:30pm. Obviously too late for the kids on a school night but would be great if we could get some support for them on the evening. Minis End of Season Rugby Tour We shall be going to the West Midlands Safari Park on Sat 31st March. After a full day at the park, we will stay at a local hotel. The hotel is next door to a large pub which will cope with our food and drink requirements. On Sunday the 1st April we shall be playing in a 3 way tournament between ourselves, Walsall Rugby Club and Kidderminster Carolians RFC. After the games are over it will be into the clubhouse where the players will be fed and after a bit of socialising with our hosts it will be up to the individuals to fill in the rest of the day. We are costing the tour initially at £15 per person (Adult or Child) which could possibly go up a little or the more likely event will be a reduction. This is a base cost covering overnight accommodation and entry into the Park. You will have the option to purchase breakfast at the hotel for £7.50 per person. If your child is under 10 years old they will eat free assuming you purchase a breakfast yourself. There is also the option to purchase a multi ride pass at the Safari park at a slightly reduced price of £8.75 per person. This could be discounted to £7.25 but is dependant upon a group booking being made so we need to know up front. It is imperative that you get this information back to your lead coach by Sunday 4th February, if you have more than one playing child please return to the eldest age group. This tour is open to your immediate family so none playing brothers and sisters are positively encouraged to attend. You will need to make your own arrangements regarding travel and will also need to pay for your own food and drink. The base cost is subsidised by the fund raising that has been carried out and more is required. If anything is organised before the tour you are urged to attend so please commit to it if you can and don't leave it to the same old people. If you would like any further information please get in touch with Richard Cattell on Sunday mornings at the club or via cattellfamily@tiscali.co.uk Christmas Party Funnily enough there wasn't a single mum bar Michelle who took the opportunity to play on a very heavy sticky pitch. There was so much cheating going on from both sides the very one sided, one eyed refs in both games had a hard time sorting the wheat from the chaff. Top marks to young Ford who has obviously listened to his dad intently and went steaming into a maul and grabbed hold of a certain coaches Crown Jewels. Poor Phil was once again the victim of dodgy decisions from the men with the tin in their mouths. If any of the children protest that they have won any of these games, shame on them and wash their mouths out with soap. Very dirty boys went into the showers and the girls who kept remarkably clean re applied their eau de cologne and it was onto a slap up buffet. The children thanked Jane for everything she has done throughout the season so far in the kitchen with a bottle of Champagne and also thanked the helpers in the kitchen during the morning. Now onto Cap'n Barnacle who was a stunning success keeping the children and a lot of older children, commonly known as adults, transfixed and cheering throughout the afternoon. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and I think you can tell by the write up that I'll never make a critic. The whole proceeding was wrapped up with a raffle and I'd like to thank everyone who brought a prize along as we made £140 for the minis tour fund. Lessons were learned here as a certain mum will never let her 10 year old snatch a winning raffle ticket out of her hands and choose a prize ever again. A great curtain call for the first half of the season - Merry Christmas and we'll see you for the Treasure Hunt on New Years day. Bag Packin' at M&S Not just bag packing - M&S bag packing. Well done to the guys who turned up on the day and of course many thanks to you all. Our apologies and commiserations go to the hardy soles who parked in the NCP car parks at 90p per 20 mins - sorry!!! However a stunning total of £476.44 was raised. Phil had to go home for a lie down after doing five hours on the till and having to tote all that cash in small change throughout Broadmead. 'Chocolates for Chocoholics' Helen Abbot is taking orders through 'Chocolates for Chocoholics' please ask her for a look through the brochure and hopefully buy something. For all brochure sales there is a commission of 7.5%, which the way chocolate sells, should amount to a good total for the Minis Tour Fund. If you don't know who Helen is, give her a ring on 01454 853629. ***There is now a no smoking policy in place at the clubhouse on Sundays - please observe it.*** Aretians have no U7s, U8s and U11s. The fixture secretary is trying to sort some games out, please be patient and ring your lead coach no later than Friday SEN Day North opened it's doors once again to Wesport to greet all the children from NE Somerset, BANES, South Glos and Bristol for a day of tag rugby. Disapointingly half the promised players failed to show but the 70+ who did turn up had a great time. The tournament was won by Argentina who beat Italy 1-0 in the World Cup Final. Beavers Night Out 45 Beavers overan Oaklands on the 21st September. Little Stoke Lodge plus two Stoke Gifford lodges arrived en-masse and were ambushed by 5 North Bristol coaches. The little fellas had a terrific time and were there so long that we had to turn on the flood lights. Many thanks to Squirrel for providing the inspiration, hopefully it will grow into an annual jamboree with the Beavers or maybe a Beaver Tournament. Thanks to the coaches for turning up and the mums and dads for dragging them all the way to North SOFA?If you've bought or are contemplating buying a new sofa or suite, can you keep all the old cushion foam for Phil. He'd like to make some crash mats to make it safer when the kids are doing some tackling practice. School Work We need more volunteers for work in schools, can you go on a rota? The club will send you on a pukka RFU tag rugby course. If you're interested email phil at phillip.fettis@capgemini.com 24th June - St. Michaels School Summer Fair There was a great time to be had down at St. Michaels School Stoke Gifford. Apart from a beautiful day and a great fair North's U8s, soon to be U9s, met up with their counterparts from Frampton Cotterell. Both teams went through an exhibition routine where they showed the crowd the rules of TAG rugby. Once the guys had gone through their paces both teams played a thrilling game and both teams made everyone very proud. The most remarkable thing about it was a pre game meet was held, THERE WAS A PLAN!!!! and we all got there in time to run through it all - YOWZER YOWZER YOWZER - A big thank you goes to Neil Ford and Martin Green plus Phil Wiltshire and Paul Tucker of Frampton for putting up with Phil and making it a great success, what you doing next weekend boys.............. Summer Training Summer Training has started - See the Diary Page!!!!! 7th May - AGM&Fun Day North's season ended spectacularily with the minis trouncing their Parents in a series of one sided matches. The highlight in the U7s match being the sinbinning of Phil Fettis for constant infringements although he contends that this was a bit harsh and a team offence. This game also proved that you could get over 50 players on a 30 x 60 meter pitch and still have fun. The children then trooped into the clubhouse and attended the formal AGM where their medals were presented. Everyone received a memento for taking part in the season and some lucky ones were designated Coaches Player of the Year, Players Player of the Year and Most Improved. After the awards and speeches the real fun began with the children invited to take part in a wonderfull buffet and then outside to the fun day. This year's attractions were childrens waltzer, bouncy castle, quad bikes, soak the coach, coconut shie, cake stalls, guess the weight of the cake, Tombola, raffles, cake stalls, treasure hunt, welly throwing, beat the goalie, guess the name of the teddy, play your cards right, candy floss and many more. During this time a massive it's a knockout competition took place with approx 80 adults and children which was immense fun. The amount of cheating that went on would've had Stuart Hall pulling his hair out cheating that went on with competitors ending up in the drink when apple bobbing for instance. As the burgers started to flow and the Parents relaxed either inside our outside the clubhouse a hug piece of plastic sheeting was strung out and covered with water and washing up liquid and the children were off sliding and slipping. The look of shock on the mum's faces after surveying the clean clothes they arrived in was worth the member All in all a fantastic seaon in terms of results, player retention, and all round good clean fun. It's thanks in part to the parents who encourage their kids to continue to be part of this wonderful set up and enjoy the game. 1st April 2006 -Minis Tour Report Saturday morning started with all the little children and all the big children (Dan, Ben & Weeksie) given stickers with a contact number on - the entrance fee was paid and we were out of the blocks and steaming into Crealy Adventure Park. We all roared into the park and "the kids" immediately started to enjoy themselves with the Le Mans track seeing some very desperate driving by the 3 Muskateers with a certain young man taking out the Go Cart of another. The rain stayed away until we were due to picnic and it came down in torrents. A quick rendevue under cover was aranged and we all got down to munching. There was a table slung together with every type of delicacy and fine wines for the U7 & U8s Coaches - well actually their wives whilst Dan & Weeksie tucked into their lunch boxes. Everyone had a fantastic day at the Park and it was then onto the Hotel to book in. Shortly after booking in Phil was informed that a grumpy Mr. and Mrs. Cogram were giving the reception a bit of a pasting due to them not being on the list and there was no room at the inn. A phone call, a telling off and a smacked bottom later saw Phil stump up for an extra room and it was onto the pub. The Pub again was a revelation with everyone having a good time and a good meal. It was eyes down, look in for a game of Bingo which culminated with everyone waiting for 18 for the last full house - we'll have to have a word with Ranjanis and Kirsty - Again!!!! . The next day saw us turn up at Topsham Rugby Club taking on Exmouth and Topsham with the boys and girls really doing themselves proud playing some excellent Rugby making their Parents jump up and down in excitement some of whom quite forgetting they were adults and really buying into the fun and enjoyment. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank Topsham for their hospitality and our eyes once again turned to next year... Treasure Hunt A fantastic day was had by the hearty soles who turned out for a day in the country. Phil Fettis ran out of petrol Ms Harrison and Ms Gould had to put their headlights on after returning over 5 hours after departing and Dave Harris never got back at all!!! First was Team Stealy, last was Team Ivys. Many of the teams parents took the hunt far too seriously, resuting in the marking session becoming like the spanish inqusition. This resulted in Phil getting yellow carded, only an hour before Weaksie, for arguing with the umpire's interpretation of the answers.. The Abbotts found it interesting sitting in a coffe lounge in Berkeley and watching various teams shooting through the village in every direction but the right one, whilst Dr Cogram refused point blank to share any information with confused and dazed individuals. She was also very smug with her knowledge of Scientific questions. After prizes had been deducted a fantastic £50 had been raised for tour - Well done!! WELL DONE NORTH North Bristol RFC Junior Section have been nominated for an award by Sports West. The club have been invited to attend an Awards Evening at the Winter Gardens, Weston Super Mare on Friday the 24th Feb. The evening highlights the contribuiton that clubs, coaches and volunteers have made to local sport and particularly the success of the partnership with Sports West. Nominations have been received from Local Authority Sports Development Officers, Regional Governing Bodies of Sport, Coaches and Sports West Development Officers. Watch out Watch out Unfortunately North's dressing rooms were raided last week. Please ensure that you safeguard your valuables at all times. We have a wonderfull, open, caring and safe club which can lure you into a false sense of security so please be aware of the outside world...... Seal of Approval Dave Harris and Phil Fettis are seen here receiving RFU and Sport England Seal of Approval from the Bristol RFU Regional Development Officer (RDO) at half time during the game between Bristol and Narbonne Bradley Stoke Tag Tournament A wonderful day was had by all. The day saw 7 North Bristol coaches taking the afternoon off work to referee a terrific tournament which was won by Baileys Court School. Dave Harris presented the inaugural winners and runners up trophies that were commissioned by North. Christmas Message This message should be read at 1505 hours on 25th December with a glass of port raised and the National Anthem ringing in your ears. Seriously may I just take this opportunity to thank you all for your help and support in the first six months of my incumbency. We have made some huge strides not just in numbers within the minis but also with the club's Seal of Approval. The Colts are maintaining their extremely high standards, the U15s are becoming a more cohesive unit and the U13's are coming on in leaps and bounds. Congratulations to the following volunteers who have become fully qualified coaches Level 1 - Jane Fettis, Allen Cogram, Dan Harris, Ben Weakes, Mike Cantin, David Stone, Neil Ford, Alex Flanagan and Scott Flanagan. RFU Tag - Michelle Holman We have managed to achieve a lot this year but there is still more to do - as always. Mike Carroll is now running with the roadmap to deliver against the club development plan, it has been and it will continue to be a team effort. The parties yesterday were excellent and I'd like to pass on my thanks to everyone who helped, especially in the kitchen. I will be passing on our best wishes to Laurie and I'm sure that he will be thinking of us as much as we are of him. Finally at this special time of year all that remains is for me to wish you and your loved ones well, stay safe and have a lovely time. Happy New Year and I'll see you in 2006 - regards Dave. North gains RFU/Sport England Approval Community Rugby has introduced the Active Sports Seal of Approval accreditation programme as a method of examining, maintaining and improving the provision of rugby in the youth section of an Active Sports rugby club. Building upon current good practice, the accreditation aims to recognise the effort and achievement of those clubs that reach, maintain and improve on the required standard of a club committed to the Active Sports programme. Community Rugby has worked with Sport England to integrate the Active Sports Seal of Approval accreditation with the Sport England Clubmark scheme to ensure that the safe, effective, child-friendly club standards are met. Any club awarded the Community Rugby Seal of Approval would already have achieved Clubmark accreditation. After a great deal of hard work North Bristol RFC has been assessed and has passed muster in regards to the Accreditation process. Accreditation process - North Bristol, whilst applying for Active Sports Seal of Approval and for Clubmark accreditation had to complete an assessment file to show that our programme met the required standards. Information for the assessment file was also taken from the Community Rugby Club Data Audit Form & Questionnaire; this is used as the basis for an in-depth discussion between the club and a Rugby Development Officer (RDO) to ascertain development needs. The youth section Development Plan was produced by the club and ratified by the Club Development Group (CDG). The club and the RDO will now need review the plan on an ongoing basis to assess the extent to which it has been implemented. The award - The Community Rugby Active Sports Seal of Approval and the Sport England Clubmark accreditation scheme are based upon a three-year award system in which a club will be assessed on its ability to provide a safe, effective, child-friendly club environment. North Bristol has qualified in the first year by the completion of the assessment file and the writing of a 12-month youth section Development Plan. By implementing the first year development plan and having the second year plan approved, we will qualify for Year II status. The same process in year three will lead to Year III status. The Award will be indicative of the quality of provision that North Bristol offers, and its commitment to the continued development of young rugby players. North will receive certification to confirm accreditation, both from Community Rugby and Sport England. The way forward - Mike Carroll has taken on the lead for the "Roadmap to Delivery" and for this to work he requires your help. The first thing that is paramount is that you fill in the required forms within the Welcome Pack and return it to your lead coach. Under 6s rebadged After advice from the Regional Development Officers a decision has been taken to rebadge the Under 6s as the Unicorns 11th October - RECRUITMENT We need to recruit more U9s and U10s please help by spreading the news or going to your lead coach with ideas as to how we can recruit more players from this age group. As you can see by the numbers we have plenty of minis in the U7/U8 age group. Of course if you know any U7/U8s please give them the nod as the more the merrier. If you know any other children who may want to play the U13s want to strengthen their numbers and if we could pick up a few more children at U10 and U11 ages we could add U11s to our club. 9th October - Minis Acadamy Due to big demand Jane Fettis is now runninga Minis Acadamy for 5 year olds who can take instruction. There's been exceptionally good feedback from her sessions with some mums more excited than their children. 28th September - Scotland wins the World Cup!!!! Scotland coached by the venerable Chris Bold were comfortable winners at the inaugural SEN World Cup held at Oaklands yesterday. Children with SEN in mainstream schools converged on North Bristol. 6 North Bristol coaches took a day’s annual holiday and Cris Chapman manned the kitchen. The RFU and Bristol City Council Rugby Development staff, Sportswest and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), ably assisted. The day started positively with Marko Stankovic arriving from Bristol Rugby Club who held a question and answer session from the children and an awestruck coaching team. Coaching got underway with the professionals giving the children an excellent Rugby related warm up and then handed over to North Bristol who coached them in the art of Tag Rugby. Lunchtime saw the Cris Chapman and the Community Team from RBS churning out huge quantities of Hot Dogs&Chips, Squash, Tea & Coffee donated by the Junior Section of North Bristol. This coincided with the arrival of England Rugby Academy member Chevvy Pennycook who chatted at length to the children whilst consuming a very unprofessional lunch – don’t tell Richard!!!!! After lunch the children who had been placed into teams as opposed to schools took to the field to play in the world cup and a wonderful afternoon of Rugby ensued with Scotland taking the Gold Medals and Wales taking Silver. The children all went away happy and so did the Adults who took part who to a man and woman committed to being there next year. Thanks to Alison Finn (Sportswest), Tracey Iles (RBS), RBS Community Team, Cris Chapman, Andy Blackmore, Gregg Bayliss, John Wheeldon & Matt Donovan (Sports West Disability Community Coaches), John Bath(New Star Bristol Judo Club), North Bristol RFC Coaching staff of Phil Fettis, Dave Harris, Chris Bold, Wayne Chapman, Mike Carroll and Rob Varney Last but not least the Teachers and Teaching Assistants who braved the cold the get the children there. 18th September - Membership Day saw the vast majority of people claiming their discount by paying their membership early. Club President, Laurie Hayward, presented Value the Volunteer Awards to Piggy Chapman, Clare Graves, Rachel Harrison and Kim Tozer in thanks for their exceptional efforts in organising last season's fun day. Unfortunately Tina Gould & Helen Heal weren't at training so couldn't be presented - thanks or all your help guys. 12th September - 6 clubs attended NBRFC for an initial meeting regarding Sport England & RFU Seal of Aproval. Each club, including North, were issued an accreditation pack to work towards. A Club Development plan has been put into action and a great deal of work has already gone into it. 4th September - 2005/6 season has started and is well underway. Unfortunately one or two players decided that rugby was not for them but the sides were augmented by an influx of new players in the mini section. The U8s & U9s can be seen running around in their new sponsored shirts with the U7s due to receive theirs in two weeks time. Annual membership will now be £30.00 per player, £40.00 if there are two from each family and £50.00 for a family of three or more. There will be a discount for players completing registration on or before that date. Please see your year coach for details. Congratualtions to the North Bristol U17 Sevens Squad who won a thrilling Combinations Sevens Final 24th April 2005 -Minis Tour Report Saturday morning started with a call from Mark Masey who was in his caravan at Ladram Bay to report that the rain was coming down in sheets and had been since the previous evening. A quick All Points Bulletin was texted to all to remember to pack Souwesters and foul weather gear. So off we went as individuals on a very gloomy trip down to Crealy Adventure Park as the West wind howled and the rain came a tumbling down - not on the plain in Spain but on little old us. We arrived on time - well most of us did - at Crealy for 09:30, where although it was damp and dank, the spirits of the kids were high and bubbling, whilst that of the parents were beginning to lift as we saw chinks in the weather as it had stopped raining by this time. A special mention at this time to Alecjandro, who at 09:30 felt as smug as bug in a rug for getting there on time and without incident. It was only when no one else turned up that he realised he was in fact parked at Exmouth RFC 24.75 hours early. The children were then given stickers with a contact number on - the entrance fee was paid and we were out of the blocks and steaming into Crealy Adventure Park. The sun started to meakly come out and the rain stayed away but the earlier rain had ensured that 99% of the day trippers stayed away and at times it felt as though we had the park to ourselves. Due to the heavy overnight rain it was decided that our planned picnic by the lake wasn’t a good idea but a further APB didn't get through to all and some hardy Tepleman-Adams lookalikes still went for it - top bannanas!!!! The APB mentioned eating in the Magical Kingdom but Phil still managed to go to the wrong place even though he was the originator of the APB. The rain stayed away and everyone had a fantastic day at the Park and it was then onto the Hotel to book in. Shortly after booking in we were informed that sadly Julie Derrick's mum had passed away and they had to return home immediately. All our thoughts turned to them at this extremely sad time and nothing we could say would be able to take away their grief and sadness but needless to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and the club as a whole would like to pass on their condolences. Sandford Holt was still finding it difficult to hold down the contents of his tummy so although the family spent the night in the hotel they took no further part in the procedings - we hope he feels better now. By this time another call was received from Alecjandro who was again ahead of schedule as he was sitting in the Cat&Fiddle, the venue for the evening. After a quick readjustment in his bearings he arrived dutifully at the Hotel and was booked in and after a quick freshen up it was off to the Pub. A few hardy souls took the option of the bus down to the pub which I believe scared the bus driver as he'd not had so many passengers since VE day. The Pub was a revelation, apart from a hiccup with alergy information not getting through to the chef, everyone had a good time. Phil was the only one brave enough for the Karaoke and wiggled his hips to an adoring audience. Then it was eyes down, look in for a game of Bingo which culminated with everyone waiting for Legs 11 for the last full house - we'll have to have a word with Ranjanis and Kirsty The next day it was raining again when we woke up but with a hearty breakfast in our tums, wind in our sails and a spring in our steps we set out to Exmouth RFC. Alecjandro managed to get to the correct venue at the correct time. The hospitality that was shown to us by Exmouth was exceptional, this is a real Rugby Club. Unfortunately that's where the hospitality ended with the U9s losing their 1st match to Exmouth 4-2 and getting seriously mugged by a exceptionally strong and well drilled Salisbury. I seriously believe that the Salisbury game was the better of the two and has given Phil an insight into exactly what needs to be worked on. The Under 8s went down in the first game to Exmouth which made me wince a couple of times as our little lads bounced off some very big boys. A strange situation considering that this is a non contact sport for under 8s but we'll leave that thought there. The guys then got it together to come back strongly and beat Salisbury. Both games were a credit to the team as naturally John had gone home with his family, Stevan had gone home with Sandford and Huw had decided not to get dirty. We therefore had to reshuffle the pack and promote 2 under 7s to join the fun - well done you guys. The Under 7s unfortunately lost both matches but they attacked incisively and defended doggedly. The boys and girl... should be really proud of themselves for playing some excellent Rugby making their Parents jump up and down in excitement some of whom quite forgetting they were adults and really buying into the fun and enjoyment. Sadly the Tour was over as soon as it started with a presentation being made to a very bashfull Phil & Jane (our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who felt that we had done something that deserved such praise). The fact that everyone mentioned they had a great time was really thanks enough. A presentation was made to Exmouth RFC who responded with a beautifull plaque and tie, a club tie was also presented to Salisbury. A precedent has been made and people are already talking about next year..... 13th March 2005 - Well we all went Training on Sunday apart from a squad who were entered for the St. Brendans U7s Tournament. It was a terific day and the organisers should be proud of themselves. Someone else who should be proud is Allen Cogram as his team really showed their mettle out there on the pitch. The guys played some scintillating stuff managing to beat Saracens 6-5 before succumbing to an extremely strong St. Mary's outfit. Next up were Aretians which was another really entertaining game with the attacks and counter attacks from both sides ebbing and flowing and ended with a creditable 5-5 draw. We then came unstuck against an exceptional Thornbury side who's defensive wall was at time unpeneterable aligned with a winger who was as fast as Jason Gardner and as skillfull as Josh Lewsey we were well and truly undone. Undetered however we went into our final game against St.Brendans which was another cracker but as with all day against the better sides we would turn the ball over by being in Touch as we tried to run our way out of trouble instead of passing. All in all a fantastic day for the guys and giving their parents immense pride in their achievements. A big hand goes to Allen and Kirsty for pulling the squad together and rotating it fairly plus Tony Spreadbury - oops sorry - Neil Ford for being North Bristol's nominated ref as Allen was too squidgy to do it. Watch out for a team photo of North with the Shoguns who to a man asked Phil to sign their shirts!!! 22nd Feb 2005 - We have started to slowly introduced Contact to the U8s in line with the RFU Continuum. Patchway Judo Club kindly let us utilise their Dojo (mats) at Patchway Youth Centre, Conniston Road in Patchway. My apologies to everyone I didn't manage to get in touch with but we shall be meeting there for at least the next two weeks until it gets light enough for us to train at the club. Alison Finn 1st Kyu instructed the guys how fall properly and we also managed to get some tackling practice in. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Alison for all her hard work on the night. Anyone interested in taking Judo should access www.patchwayjudoclub.co.uk 17th Feb 2005 - Well done to everyone who took part in the back packing at Morrisons. A terrific £250 was raised on the night which was a brilliant effort. 14th January 2005 - Bag packing at Morrisons. Due to respect to the Tsunami disaster and susbequent fund raising by DEC, the Club decided that people's money would be best diverted to the various disaster appeals and that the bag packing would be rescheduled to 17th Feb. 12th December - Christmas Party. The Minis met at the club at 10:00 whereby the U7s played against Frampton Cotterell in which all the children managed to have a great game of Rugby with loads of Fun. This was followed by games against the Adults where the U7s played a stunning game with the Adults unable to get the tags off the childrens belts but the bias referee carried out no furthr investigations of their equipment. This was again immense fun with everyone mucking in. At 11:45 we moved into the club house where there was party food laid on for the children and their brothers & sisters along with a visit from Santa. Many of the Children were very succesfull in the raffle and a great day was had by all. The fun was marred by sadness as we said goodby to Oscar who handed in his shirt to start his new life in Norwich where I'm realiably informed they do play Rugby - Good luck Oscar. I must take this opportunity to thank Jane and Carol plus all the many helpers on the day such as Bev and Cris who laid on a conveyor belt of delicious goodies for the Children. I must apologise for not knowing exactly who and when the extra volounteers pitched in but to all you Ladies I'd like to express mine and the Members gratitude. A big thank you goes out to all who provided raffle tickets and they seemed to be endless. A massive thank you goes out to Wayne, Ted, Jane, Cathy, Bev, Dave, Cris and Paul. Without you guys we wouldn't have had such a great time which I know everyone did. These guys are putting a lot of effort in lets all try and support them either by attending events or by getting involved. If you do want to get involved give either Ted or Don a call to register your interest. Our best wishes go out to Luke Frost who is still injured and made his umpteenth visit to A&E at Southmead. Getter better soon mate the whole gang is missing you. Merry Christmas everybody and a Happy New Year