touraid Manchester Festival

On the 19^th June, 2011, four rugby teams from around the world will arrive in Manchester for a week.

They will be participating in a rugby festival which will take place on the 23^rd June with the primary goal of bringing together underprivileged children together to play in a 10-a-side rugby tournament.

The tournament will consist of the 4 touring teams and the 4 host schools. The host schools will consist of City Academies who will look after the disadvantaged children during the week they are on tour.

Manchester Academy and the Rainbow Community Sports Club 

The Rainbow Community Sports Club from Marabella in Trinidad and Tobago will be hosted by Manchester Academy. Rudolph Jack, founder of Rainbow Sport and Cultural Community, started the club in 1985 as a community based sport and cultural organisation with the specific objective of using sport and rugby in particular as a means of keeping at risk youth away from a life of crime and drugs.

"The social and legacy impact of Rainbow participating in the touraid festival is immeasurable and intensely profound. Consider the fact that was it not for rugby and the effort of Rainbow the alternative facing these young children are challenging. The experience of seeing another country and meeting and making new friends opens a world of new possibilities for the Rainbow players. They learn that with hard work, discipline and big dreams anything is possible.

Without the support of touraid and their trustees the young children of Rainbow will not be able to travel to the UK." Brian Lewis, Hon Sec Gen, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee

There will be 10 boys and 2 coaches travelling who will be staying with families from The Manchester Academy for the duration of their week.

touraid is a children’s charity that establishes sustainable relationships between schools and clubs in the UK with similar organisations around the globe that support disadvantaged children. touraid sees rugby, other sports including netball and the performing arts as the catalyst for these partnerships, and the conduit for the resulting educational, cultural and social benefits to the visiting teams and host children.

touraid has already brought over 550 disadvantaged children to the UK from 24 countries, for a week’s tour. Many sustained links have been made with their communities resulting in considerable social benefits.

Look out here for further updates on our website as more information becomes available.