Roman Support Wheelchair Rugby Club

The UK and Europe’s leading shower designer and manufacturer, Roman, has sponsored the North East Bulls Wheelchair Rugby Club (NE Bulls WRC) through the County Durham Community Foundation, to help the club fund new and existing players.

Roman has supported the County Durham Community Foundation for over 15 years and has sponsored many local people, initiatives, and charities.

Wheelchair rugby was first created as a sport for people with spinal cord injuries who were not physically functional enough to play other disability sports such as Wheelchair Basketball. All players at the club have impairments or disabilities effecting both their arms and legs meaning they struggle with a lot of day to day tasks. Wheelchair rugby is a sport that they can compete in equally and is adapted to their limited function. The NE Bulls WRC are one of two clubs in the north east and was first established in 2022.

Dale Thompson, Chair of the Committee, commented: “The club can be described as a lifeline for some of its members as without the provision of this sport, some members would be completely inactive. The NE Bulls would like to make the sport as accessible as possible for those with a disability and as such we raise funds on an annual basis in order to limit the financial impact our sport places on our new and existing players, especially during the current financial climate.”

The NE Bulls WRC use the funds donated to purchase wheelchairs which can be used by new players when they join the sport, and they also work hard to cover some of the financial burdens that come with playing the sport, e.g. wheelchair maintenance, competition costs such as tournament entry fees and overnight accommodation to attend competitions. David Osborne, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We’re very closely engaged with our local community and are constantly assisting local projects and initiatives. When we heard about the NE Bulls WRC, we were keen to get involved and help the club to continue to recruit new players and support existing players.”