Old Bedians hosted a hugely successful charity day on Saturday 9th August with a match against Looseheadz rugby club and the day raised over £1,000 for the Looseheadz mental health charity, in memory of Lloyd Cawthorne.

All of the players took part in a mental health talk from Looseheadz at the start of the day to prioritise this crucial topic, and then everyone enjoyed the unveiling of the new kit for 2025-26, especially the unique photoshoot that followed! For a behind the scenes look at the fun and games that went on check out our head coach Newey’s ‘NewTube’ video here (https://youtu.be/dHjt4lQ8RcU), and keep an eye on our Instagram feed for the final photo edits (https://www.instagram.com/oldbediansrufc?igsh=M2ZsZHE4dXAwNW9k)!

The day included some family friendly touch/tag rugby with members of our junior section, plenty of food and drink, and a bouncy castle to keep the kids entertained, but it was the match between Old Bedians and Looseheadz that was the main event. The game was a spectacle of flowing rugby in beautiful sunny conditions and both teams ran in some decent tries. For Old Bedians it was the first full-contact game following productive pre-season training and it was pleasing to see some combinations click back into gear and follow on from the success at the end of last year, which bodes well for the season ahead. It was also great to see some old faces returning to the squad and also turning out for Looseheadz to mark the occasion and pay respects to Lloyd. Old Bedians ended up winning 36-17, on a day when team spirit, friendship and charity were the overall winners.

In a packed clubhouse after the game the raffle raised over £1,000 for Looseheadz and players old and new enjoyed the post-game celebrations. Thanks to all who donated prizes and bought raffle tickets. If you would like to donate the JustGiving page is still open (https://www.justgiving.com/page/lloyds-day)

Massive thanks go to Danny Walder, Sam Watson, James Hennigan who helped organise such a wonderful day, as well as the volunteers on the day; Costello, Ed Henderson, Ian Betts, Ben Rogerson and the many others without whom the day would not have run so smoothly. It was a fitting way to remember Lloyd, raise money for charity and kick start what promises to be a fantastic season.