Friday 22 October sees the culmination of a series of successful tag rugby taster sessions with a special rugby festival. The event will be held from 11am to 1pm at Paviors Rugby Club, Burnt Stump Park, Arnold and will celebrate the success of the programme which has been running within local mental health services.
The programme is a partnership between Nottinghamshire Healthcare, the Rugby Football Union (RFU), and Nottinghamshire County Council and aims to encourage people using mental health services to get involved in the sport and gain mental and physical health benefits.
Initial coaching sessions were run at The Wells Road Centre a facility providing both residential and outpatient care for people with a range of mental health conditions.
Tag rugby is a non-contact variant on the traditional sport, where players wear a Velcro belt, and tear off strips – or tags – to indicate a tackle.
The Nice Try! programme has proved so popular that a Nice Try! mental health rugby league, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, will be launched in January.
The programme is funded by Sport Nottinghamshire, Nottinghamshire Healthcare, the RFU and Nottinghamshire County Council.
Lisa Evans, health promotion lead and fitness instructor at Nottinghamshire Healthcare helped to get the programme started. She said: “We are delighted with the success of the Nice Try programme and looking forward to celebrating on Friday and to the launch of the league next year. It really has made a difference; people who wouldn’t normally engage with physical exercise have been coming along every week and getting involved. One participant lost half a stone and dramatically reduced his blood pressure during the time the taster sessions were running.”
Participants have commented how they have enjoyed being involved and found that it helps motivate them to be more active and inspired to try other things.
RFU coach Stuart Bell explained the particular suitability of rugby to improvements in mental health. “Tag rugby attracts people who aren’t necessarily agile enough to play football,” he said. “It really is a game for everybody. The emphasis in tag is having fun. The values of the game promote teamwork, discipline, respect and sportsmanship, all of which help to build confidence and self esteem.”
Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Culture and Community, Nottinghamshire County Council added: “This festival will be the culmination of sessions that have taken place throughout the year. They have been designed to help people improve their mental health while having fun and to promote team spirit, discipline and respect.”
