It’s been an important week of political engagement for Rugby League Cares, in the contrasting surroundings of Westminster and Wheldon Road.
On Wednesday July 1, Player Ambassador and Wellbeing Manager Adrian Morley led an RL Cares delegation to the latest meeting of Rugby League’s All Party Parliamentary Group in Portcullis House – updating the group on a busy 2026 which has included the launch of the Seriously Injured Players Fund as the new identity for the Rugby League Benevolent Fund.
And the following day, RL Cares Chief Executive Chris Rostron chaired a round table event at Castleford’s OneBore Stadium organised jointly by the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), with Ministers Jake Richards and Stephanie Peacock introduced to some of the work that RL Cares have delivered in partnership with the Castleford Tigers Foundation.
The focus was on social connection among men and boys, with Amy Hardman, the manager of the Tigers Foundation, introducing several guests who have first-hand experience of the RL Cares Offload programmes in Castleford and Wakefield – and Keith Senior, the Super League legend who is Head of Wellbeing Programmes for RL Cares, also sharing his experiences.
Also in attendance were representatives of the UK Men’s Sheds Association which has developed in recent years, again with a focus on men’s mental health.
“It’s been great to be at Castleford Tigers,” said Jake Richards, the Minister for Youth Justice and MP for Rother Valley in South Yorkshire.
“It’s a great community asset, everyone in Castleford knows about the ground and they do so much good work in the community – we heard some very powerful stories.
“We know as a Government that sport is a key driver to try and break social isolation and bring people together. That’s why we’re investing lots more in community-based sports projects across the country to try and help, in particular with our men’s health strategy.
“Today I’ve heard from Rugby League Cares and also Men’s Sheds about the fantastic work that they do, helping hundreds of thousands of men, sometimes in the darkest of moments, see some light.”
RL Cares CEO Chris Rostron added:
“It’s been our privilege this week first to update the All-Party Parliamentary Group in Westminster, and then to join the Cas Tigers Foundation and Men’s Sheds to share some truly inspirational stories with the Ministers.
“Adrian Morley had a busy day in London on Wednesday, delivering an Offload session to the biggest RNLI station in the country on the Embankment before updating the APPG. We’re always grateful to the Group for their support, and I think they enjoyed having a legend of the sport at their meeting!
“We were also pleased to have the opportunity to share with Stephanie Peacock and Jake Richards, two Ministers with constituencies in South Yorkshire, some of the great work that Keith Senior and the other members of our wellbeing team do in partnership with Amy Hardman and her Foundation team at Castleford.
“We’re proud to represent the sport of Rugby League in these events, and to shine a light on its importance in the communities where it has been established for so long – and it was fitting that we met in the Centenary Lounge, as Cas celebrate 100 years since their successful application to join the Rugby League in 1926.”