On Friday, Prince Harry visited Twickenham Stadium at an England rugby open training session, watched by a crowd of over 10,000. The England team were preparing for their next Six Nations match against Scotland on Saturday.
The Prince, who had been a keen rugby player as a child, said he missed playing the game, and had to hang up his boots due to injury. He is now patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU). Alongside him, watching the session, was England legend Jonny Wilkinson.
Prince Harry was visiting the England training session to show support for the charity ‘Try for Change’. Set up by England Rugby, the charity aims to use rugby as a way to help those in disadvantaged positions. Many of the people in the stands at Twickenham were young people who had benefitted from the work of the charity.
The open training session, organised by England Rugby, allowed members of the public, as well as young people from local schools and rugby clubs, to watch the England team train. The team were preparing for Saturday’s match against Scotland in the Six Nations tournament. England have won their first two matches, and are aiming to become the first team in history to win the tournament three times in a row.
As well as catching-up with schoolboy-friend and current England player James Haskell, Prince Harry spent time with representatives of various charities. From schemes keeping young people in school to allowing older people to stay active and meet new people through rugby, the training session provided an opportunity for local people to engage with the community through rugby.
Local schoolboy rugby player Henry Fagan, 12, who attended the open training session, said that “it was very interesting to see how the England team train, and very exciting to see Prince Harry come to watch.”
The charity ‘Try for Change’ uses the power of rugby to help improve the lives of disadvantaged people across the UK, and is a partner of Sport Relief. It helps to keep more young people in school, combat mental health issues and enhance the sense of community.
Prince Harry is a fantastic role model for young people, and by raising awareness about important charities such as Try for Change, his involvement will no doubt mean a greater number of people will be able to feel more integrated into their local communities through their work.
