Rugby Gala Charity Event to support local at-risk youth – MERBW7s

Bridgetown – The Local Organising Committee for the 2018 Mitsubishi Electric Rugby Barbados World 7s (MERBW7s) is this year partnering with the Rotary Club of Barbados (South) and The Royal Shop of Barbados to host their second annual Gala Charity Event to assist the nation’s ‘at-risk’ youth through sport. The Gala will be held on Friday 7^th December at the Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados, who are also offering special accommodation deals to MERBW7s fans, and Tournament organisers are calling on Barbadians to dig deep and contribute the minimum $280BBD donation per person to support the event.

Noted British BBC Sports Broadcaster and Wimbledon Commentator John Inverdale is being flown in as the special guest speaker for the evening which also includes cocktails, a three-course dinner and a charity auction featuring Rugby memorabilia and fine jewellery, including a Swiss timepiece from The Royal Shop; all up for sale to the highest bidder.

Proceeds will go towards helping Rotary to support the Stephen Alleyne Sport for Life Programme (also sponsored by the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust) which assists in educating our youth in life skills, literacy and numeracy, as well as sporting skills and leadership development. The programme is additionally endorsed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and the National Sports Council.

Manager of the MERBW7s Local Organising Committee, George Nicholson said the Charity Dinner is a great way to lead into an action-packed weekend of world-class Rugby on the island and to build a brighter future for at-risk children in Barbados. “MERBW7s is proud to be partnering with such prestigious organisations and brands to put on a second Gala Charity Event in aid of youth through sport. Sport is such a powerful tool for the social development of our most at-risk youth in society and we are putting the call out to all businesses and individuals this year – if you have ever thought about assisting such a cause, we urge you to make a donation and join us for what’s sure to be a wonderful start to all the action of our Tournament,” he said.

The Charity Event is just the beginning of a busy few days for Rugby in Barbados, with the longest running Club Rugby 7s Tournament in the Caribbean, and what’s now being heralded as ‘one of the world’s richest Women’s Club 7s tournaments’, to kick off at the iconic Kensington Oval the following day. Over the 8^th and 9^th December, some of the best Men’s and Women’s Club Rugby teams from across the globe will compete in the MERBW7s, which has an impressive US$30,000 prize money up for grabs. Teams from Scotland, England, Wales, Canada and the USA, as well as Guadeloupe, St Lucia, and Trinidad have all registered for this year’s Tournament, which the organisers are hoping will eventually rival both the internationally-renowned Hong Kong Sevens and Dubai Sevens, especially in the Women’s Division.

 For Charity Event reservations, email Brian Stollmeyer at brian.stollmeyer@gmail.comor George Nicholson at gnicholson@adebbarbados.com. Note: a 10% discount applies to full table bookings of 10 persons.

MERBW7s Tournament tickets are available through TicketPal’s Caribbean/USA site
https://www.ticketpal.com/ and at all TicketPal outlets in Barbados. For Corporate Hospitality Suites and Package bookings, visit http://www.rugbybarbadosworld7s.com/corporate-hospitality-…/ . For MERBW7s information and more Gala Charity Event details, visit www.rugbybarbadosworld7s.com or @BarbadosSevens on Facebook.