News

With the Club’s centenary season, 2023/2024, fast approaching and the need for some forward planning to be put in place, the importance of the volunteer throughout that period cannot be over emphasised. It has also highlighted the significant role that volunteers will play in maintaining our club and moving it forward in future years.

With that in mind we have decided to explore ways of expanding the network of club members who perform the many roles that are needed to keep the club functioning in such a positive and viable way.

The club currently operates on the goodwill and commitment of over 75 volunteers who all perform crucial roles in ensuring Old Penarthians exists both socially and on the playing field but there is always the need for more helpers. It’s true many hands make light work!!

I am sure that there are people out there who would be only too willing to help out now and again, as and when they have the time, and so we are planning to create, through Facebook, a group of interested members under the heading Old Pens Volunteers Hub. 

Joining this Group, whether you are a long-standing member or a recent recruit, will not commit you to anything, it just shows that you have an interest in supporting the club moving forward by volunteering to help on projects or activities of the club where you may have a particular skill or interest.

No one will be pressured into anything or even directly approached to help.

The idea is that requests will go out to the group via the hub when assistance is required and anyone who has the time or inclination to help can respond to that specific request without feeling they are committed to any long-term responsibility.

The nature of the requests will be varied and could range for example from helping to serve tea and coffee now and again on a Sunday morning, helping to paint the benches on the patio once a year, selling programs at the annual sevens tournament or providing specialist advice on issues such as social media, GDPR or a planning application. Whatever your contribution it will be invaluable to establishing the continued existence of the club in both the short and long term.

If help is needed for any club activity then a post will be submitted with the full details of what is required and when, then members of the group can respond if they are in a position to help.

Initially there will be four administrators, myself, Jeff Norman, Laura Davies and Hedydd Lewis-Atherton but as time goes on we would like to increase the number of administrators to share the load.

It is intended to include those currently volunteering and those who feel that now is the right time to join up, so anyone interested in the future of this club please enrol in the hub, get a friend to enrol and hopefully we will still be going in 100 years from now! The group can be found using the link https://www.facebook.com/groups/831465137469415/

If you would like to support the club but do not have Facebook access, please email us at Oldpensrfc@live.co.uk and we will add you to our mailing list to keep you up-to-date on any help that is needed

Thank you.

Stephen Clarke
Chairperson- Old Penarthians RFC