England Deaf Tour to South Africa 2020

Having been proud to be a part of the England Deaf squad for 7 years, I now have the opportunity to tour and play in South Africa for the first time and potentially gain my first international cap. 

England Deaf is a charity fully recognized team by the RFU and provides individuals with hearing loss/Deaf to participate in rugby with community fixtures and internationals. They also help integrate deaf/Deaf/hard of hearing individuals into rugby clubs around the country by providing support for clubs and players. The organisation also promotes Deaf awareness within schools, colleges and local communities. 

This will be the first England Deaf tour of South Africa with both the men and women's teams playing fixtures during the 12 day tour. This amounts to a significant cost to provide accommodation, flights, food and support for over 40 players and staff. This is why each player has been asked to raise £1500 to assist with this.

The charity is also searching for tour sponsors and partnerships - if this is of interest to your business please contact EDRU through the Twitter page https://twitter.com/deafrugby. 

Deafness/hearing loss is a very isolating disability, with research indicating that over 11 million people in the UK alone have a hearing loss.  By 2035, it is estimated there’ll be around 15.6 million people - that’s one in five of us. Furthermore, loneliness and isolation double the risk of depression, anxiety, and dementia.

The privilege of being a part of deaf rugby and the EDRU has helped me to overcome my own personal isolation issues. Having the opportunity to train and play with a team of other people who share the same disability helps us all cope with the daily challenges of being hard of hearing as well as giving me a close network of support. 

I would appreciate any help you can give to provide this incredible opportunity.