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A Deri RFC player is going to represent Wales in the World Deaf Rugby 7s World Cup in Argentina.
Paige Randall, 26, from New Tredegar, will play as part of the Welsh team in Cordoba this April.
As well as putting in lots of training hours, qualified nurse Paige also needed to raise thousands of pounds in order to be able to participate.
An important £1,500 donation came from Persimmon Homes West Wales as part of its Community Champion scheme – which helped to boost her fundraising total and ensured she will be able to make the 11,000km trip.
Paige spoke about how important the donation was in enabling her to compete and represent the deaf rugby community and said: “The tournament is now only weeks away and I can’t wait to get on that plane to Argentina and do the deaf community and my country proud.
“I work full time and train hard with my local team, Deri RFC as well as with Wales deaf so trying to fundraise has been difficult. It was such a relief when Persimmon gave me this donation as without it I wouldn’t have been able to afford to go.
“It not only allows me the opportunity to play for my country on the world stage but also to raise awareness of the deaf rugby community.”
The first-ever World Deaf Rugby 7s Cup took place in 2018 in Sydney and the 2023 tournament in Argentina will include teams from England, New Zealand and Australia.
Who can play deaf rugby?
World Rugby, the sport’s global governing body, says the worldwide measure for deaf rugby is a loss of at least 40 decibels.
This means players can have varying levels of deafness due to various reasons or medical conditions.
More information about deaf rugby can be found here.
Sharon Bouhali, Sales Director for Persimmon West Wales also commented on the donation and said: “I am delighted that Persimmon have been able to donate this money to help Paige achieve her dream of reaching the World Deaf Rugby 7’s World Cup whilst at the same time allowing her the opportunity to help raise awareness of the deaf community.
“Through our Community Champions scheme we are always happy to support individuals and local community groups through contributing to causes that mean a lot to them.”
Persimmon has up to £6,000 to give to local organisations and good causes every quarter. The scheme runs across each of their 30 UK offices.
The World Deaf Rugby 7’s World Cup will run from April 5 to 9.
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