THE RAVENS
The Newcastle Ravens are an LGBT inclusive Rugby Team in the North East. After an incredibly successful season where our 1st team was leading the Northern Division of the IGR, lockdown begun ending the season prematurely.
We went from seeing each other at training and many of us had been planning to travel to Canada together to compete in an international rugby tournament – to speaking on Zoom. The transition was challenging for many members who were unable to spend time with their friends and family but as a club we stuck together getting through challenging times by keeping in touch through various means. We held our end of season awards virtually for the first time ever and organised various fitness challenges and interactive gameshows for us. Our outgoing committee were really thoughtful and made sure to check in with each member to see how everyone was doing and if they need any additional support.
With a club of over 60, naturally we had different challenges – some were furloughed, some adjusted to working from home, some had university disrupted and some were uncertain about the future of their jobs. We also ensured that those that worked as key workers were appreciated such as delivering cupcakes to NHS workers within the club to share with their colleagues.
Now that lockdown is lifting, we can train in small groups of less than 6 while adhering to social distancing which is a good opportunity to exercise and practice drills with other members of the team. The committee are monitoring the situation and we are looking forward to our full return to Rugby as soon as possible. Our club grew a lot over the last year with our formation of the 2nds team and once things are a bit more normal, we look forward to welcoming new people into the Ravens family.