BULLDOGS COMMUNITY TEAM

Batley Sporting Charitable Trust - "Uniting communities through sport"

The history of the Charitable Trust

Batley Rugby League Club has always sought to support and be an active part of the community of Batley. Over the years it has been involved in many ways, such as working in schools and with young people and other community groups. This has involved funded workers, staff of the club and volunteers.

A few years ago when external funding came to an end, it was decided that the best vehicle to continue and expand that work would be to set up an independent charity. The charity would be separate from the club working closely together, using the facilities and the valued expertise of the club, with an emphasis on sport but not be limited to sporting activity.

Thus the Batley Sporting Charitable Trust was formed some 5 years ago. The trustees were all people closely associated with the Batley Bulldogs, projects that could be self-funded went ahead such as work in schools, Holiday activity clubs for children and match day activities.

However, two projects requiring large scale funding were proposed; one to celebrate the heritage of the Batley Club by identifying every player who had worn the shirt, giving them a heritage number and setting up a Hall of Fame for those who had made an outstanding contribution. The second project would recognise the diversity within the community of Batley and seek to promote cohesion across gender, ethnicity and age. National Lottery Funding was sought and obtained for these two projects and this has enabled the employing of workers, assisted by volunteers to see those project aims achieved.

It is the hope of the trustees that these projects will promote pride and celebrate the relationship & mutual support of club with the whole community of Batley.

Our Vision

Our vision is to promote mutual respect for all ethnicities, ages & genders and to mobilise the local community using the power of sport and other means. By working together with the community on local projects and events, we aim to bring a sense of ownership, belonging and pride to all members of our community and beyond

Our Aims & Objectives

Strands

Gender diversity
Ethnic diversity
Age diversity

Aims

Enhance the local community and surrounding areas
Achieve a common vision with local residents, community leaders and community groups
Encourage a sense of belonging and raise pride in locality
Engage with community members to develop positive relationships

Objectives

To create a safe and neutral discussion space accessible to all
To bring people together from all ages and backgrounds to work together on community led projects
To improve tolerance and raise awareness of others from all backgrounds
To use sport to promote health & wellbeing for all

About Our Work

Schools

We work with schools in the Batley, Birstall, Heckmondwike and Dewsbury area, to provide lunch clubs & structured PE classes and also to deliver Mission Active Kirklees sessions. Our sessions promote physical activity in a fun and engaging way, encouraging children to stay active as part of a healthy lifestyle.

If you would like to know more, contact details are at the bottom of the page.

Community Gym

We promote fitness for all abilities and run free community gym sessions, on Tuesday & Thursday mornings and Wednesday evenings, train your own way or join in with group sessions. Our current timetable is below, when we add new sessions we will advertise them here and on our social media pages:

Tuesday & Thursday

8.00am Over 55’s 9.30am Ladies Only

Wednesday

6pm Ladies Only 7.00pm Downs & Special Friends

Take a look at our Community Gym Timetable here – Community Gym

Community Projects

We will be running a number of projects with the community in mind, these projects will be community led and will be accessible to all. Watch this space for details of upcoming projects and events. If you have any idea for a community project or would like to help with one as a volunteer, send us an email on the contact details below.

Who We Are

The Charitable Trust is run by a board of voluntary trustees, all of whom are heavily involved in the club and are passionate about the work of the trust. We also have 4 other people who do work for the Trust, below are their profiles and roles:

Sporting Memories

Our brand new session in partnership with Dewsbury Memories, is aimed at tackling the issues of memory loss and social isolation in a fun, friendly and welcoming way.

The session is the 4th Friday of every month at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, anyone can come along and chat about all things rugby, Batley and beyond. Everybody is welcome and the session is free with biscuits and hot drinks provided.

Next Session November 29th 10am

Sharaz Ajmal Community Engagement Manager

Sharaz joined the Trust in August 2017 as Community Engagement Manager. Sharaz got involved with rugby 8 years ago when his son found a love for the sport and started playing for Dewsbury Moor ARLFC. Since this time he has become a level 2 qualified coach and has been coaching at Dewsbury Moor for 5 years as well as being an active member of their committee. Sharaz’s diverse background allows him to help to break barriers in multi-cultural communities using sport, as well as vital life experience. Sharaz’s aim is to help the communities of Batley & Birstall find ways to work together, as well as helping to make the area a better play to be whether its for work, rest or play. Outside of work Sharaz is a keen sportsman and gym goer.

Clare Black Community Engagement Manager

Clare is the newest member of the team, joining the Trust in February 2019. Clare has been volunteering with More in Common in Batley since 2017 and is a member of Batley Community Choir for almost 5 years, which has helped her make many local connections and learn about the communities in Batley and surrounding areas. Out of work Clare likes photography, gym and the outdoors.

Dan Winner Volunteer & Coach

Dan has a long history with the club, previously working as a full time Rugby League Development Officer for the Bulldogs. Dan now volunteers for the Trust coaching in schools, helping on match days and also with the holiday clubs, as well as juggling a full time trade as a plasterer. Dan has been playing rugby since the age of 7 and started coaching at just 16 at Batley Boys ARLFC and continues to coach Tots ages 3-5 and also the Open Age second team.

Paul Wood Volunteer & Coach

Paul aka Woody, is an experienced coach and member of the Community Team. Woody spends much of his time doing the important work of coaching in schools, running PE, lunchtime and after school sessions, you can also find him at the Fox’s Fanzone on matchdays

Hannah Stourgeon Volunteer

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Hannah is currently attending Batley Girls 6th Form and is enrolled in Army Cadets. Hannah likes playing netball and rugby and enjoys watched sport.

Jon Umpleby – Volunteer

Jon is a long standing and well respected member of the Community Team , Jon has a passion for community work and is a very popular face at the Mount.

Mohammed Ashfak – Volunteer

Mohammed joined us in the first half of the year as a volunteer, he is a very keen cricket supporter and is hoping that England manage to win their Ashes bid this year!

Bilaal Ashfak – Volunteer

Bilaal is currently doing Duke of Edinburghs Bronze award and has chosen 3 months for volunteering and skills and 6 months for the physical aspectr of the course. He likes football and badminton and supports Manchester City and England, he also likes rugby and support Batley Bulldogs.

Kyle Render – Coach

Kyle is the newest member of the team and has recently fulfilled his childhood ambition and qualified as a level 3 coach. Kyles main sport is rugby league but has also worked with local organisations to deliver multisports coaching.