Hitz participants enjoy Premiership Final excursion
Participants from the HITZ Programme delivered by the Falcons Community Foundation joined with other young people from across the country were at last weekend’s Aviva Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham as the good work of the HITZ Learning Academy was celebrated at the showpiece game.
Travelling from the North East with HITZ Officer Joe Brown, the trio started the weekend by meeting up with fellow participants at High Ashurst Outdoor Education Centre on Friday for a day of engaging physical activity. They also took part in a Q&A session with former England international Paul Sackey.
On the day of the final between Wasps and Exeter Chiefs, the HITZ pupils took part in a touch rugby festival, before going on to present an idea they had been asked to develop in order to attract more supporters to rugby.
Chris, Jamie and Jill represented the Falcons well and delivered their presentation superbly, before narrowly missing out to Bath and Gloucester.
Following their day of activity, the group enjoyed a pulsating match between the top two sides at the end of the 2016/17 season, which ended with Exeter being crowned champions thanks to a 20-23 win.
HITZ, which kicked off in 2009, is delivered nationally by Premiership Rugby and funded by national partners Barclays, Comic Relief, Land Rover, Wooden Spoon and CSL.
The programme uses rugby to increase young people’s resilience, self-reliance and confidence and gives them the skills to get back into education, apprenticeships and employment.
HITZ, via 12 Premiership Rugby clubs, supports the development of 3,000 targeted young people every year, of which 500 young people will have the opportunity to achieve a positive progression into further education training and employment.
For more information about the project, contact Joe Brown via email joe.brown@newcastle-falcons.co.uk
