Rugby Legends Help Us Launch Our Support for Dallaglio RugbyWorks
What a great night!
Kicking off our support for Dallaglio RugbyWorks as our community charity cause, we put on a star-studded launch night at the Cock Inn, Harpenden – just round the corner from our Harpenden Smile Studio and HC4D practices.
Joining Lawrence were fellow Rugby Legends and World Cup Winners Jason Robinson and Paul Grayson, and the evening was compered by Zenna Hopson, CEO of Dallaglio RugbyWorks.
It was a fantastic event with a great turnout, all interested to learn more about the underlying theme of the night, and how the community can join in to support the fantastic work the Dallaglio RugbyWorks provides to change the lives of young people.
The evening began with a fantastic introduction to Dallaglio RubgyWorks by Zenna, where she spoke with great passion about the importance and influence that rugby can have on providing young people with a real focus.
Undoubtedly, the evening’s highlight was the star-studded Q&A panel, with Lawrence, Jason and Paul answering questions about the importance of raising awareness and understanding how giving young people disadvantaged by the education system a goal and a pathway for personal achievement can change lives for the better. The trio also took the time to recall some memorable moments from winning the 2003 World Cup and some life lessons, such as the importance of always believing and never giving up.
Our CEO, Sab Bhandal, also spoke about the importance of oral healthcare provision and how the charity’s aims are aligned with many of our own in tackling health inequalities, including through sporting channels. The significant parallel was how we are similarly committed to delivering prevention-based care to the communities we serve. Sab spoke specifically about three focuses, firstly, partnering with the University of Birmingham to detect diabetes in patients; secondly partnering with Jason Robinson and how he is on the government task force supporting primary schools (alongside our partnership with the Marchon gym) and how we are building a partnership with the University of Cambridge to support their boxing and rugby clubs to help recognise eating disorders in children.
For me, whilst it was fascinating to listen to the Rugby Legends’ insights and hear from Lawrence about what has driven him to establish and grow the charity, it was one line he said that stuck with me the most, he said “Everyone starts in this world with nothing and leaves this world with nothing. It’s what you do in the middle that makes the difference.”
How you can join in
If you are interested in discussing any of these areas, please get in touch with me through drw@obexdental.co.uk
Getting involved is easy, and there are several ways you get involved. We hope you were inspired to join in yourselves and support our local efforts to co-ordinate, fundraise, and volunteer to help make a real impact in this area.
Best,
Elliot Rees