Wales Women’s side donate gifts to Age Cymru

Wales Women’s side donate gifts to Age Cymru

The Wales Women’s Rugby League side have donated 29 boxes of gifts to the Age Cymru Christmas Gift Box Appeal 2019, created to help tackle loneliness amongst older people.

Each box was brimming with seasonal treats such as gloves, scarves, hats and socks to help keep people warm, as well as traditional stocking fillers such as chocolates and luxury biscuits.

Age Cymru, a charity that works to improve the lives of older people, has invited community groups throughout Wales to donate shoe boxes full of festive treats for older people living in care homes who no longer have any friends or relatives.

This is in line with their ethos, “No one should have no one to turn to”, and with many care home residents having no close family to visit over the festive period, the charity hopes that having a gift to open may make a huge difference to someone.

Wales team manager Louise Morgan saw this appeal and ask her side if they would be willing to donate. Naturally they were delighted to do so and on Thursday 5^th December, Morgan, along with four players and the Wales Rugby League CEO Gareth Kear, visited the Age Cymru offices in Cardiff to give their boxes in.

Morgan said: “As a team we were delighted to help Age Cymru. Thank you to Michael and Sarah at age Cymru for letting us get involved and thank you to all the players who spent the time to do prepare the Christmas boxes.

“Age Cymru are doing a fantastic job. We’re Extremely happy to know these boxes will be delivered to care homes and will put smiles on faces this Christmas.”

Kear adds: “We are working hard with Sport Wales to achieve an active community where everyone can have a lifelong enjoyment of sport. More than this,  Wales Rugby League have always believed in inclusion, and we want to improve wellbeing and health in our communities.”

Age Cymru’s Michael Phillips said: “Feelings of loneliness are particularly strong at Christmas time as people remember times gone by when they were surrounded by friends, families and neighbours.  These acts of kindness by the Welsh team will bring a little Christmas cheer to older people and show that others still care for them.”

Last month, Wales Women won their first ever capped game, which was a 24-20 victory over England Lions in St Helens, and more international matches are planned for 2020.

Find out more about the Wales Women’s Rugby League squad by going to https://rugbyleague.wales/womens-squad.

To find out more about the appeal, go to www.agecymru.org.uk/giftboxappeal.