PLAYERS and coaches from a Bournemouth based rugby club are taking part in a Six Nations themed campaign to raise much needed funds for the club.

Over 100 members of Oakmeadians RFC are cumulatively walking, running or cycling 10,825 miles, the distance travelled by the international teams during the Six Nations championship, before the final day of the tournament on March 20.

As the club haven’t charged players membership fees for this season, they are looking to raise £5,000 to make up the deficit.

Dave Corbin set up the fundraisers was set up to not only raise money for the Meyrick Park based club, but to also keep their members fit whilst training and matches have been suspended under the current lockdown restrictions.

“When I first set the challenge up, I had targeted £500 but we reached that really quickly, so I upped it to £1,000. It became clear that we were going to smash that too so have been a little bit more ambitious and set the bar at £5,000.

“From my point of view, I have been trying to think of a way to get the members re-engaged after a period of inactivity and I didn’t think that another series of ‘zoom calls’ was the answer.

“This challenge has given everyone a purpose ahead of returning back to rugby at the end of March.”

So far, 111 athletes from the club have completed over 6,500 miles of their challenge and are on track on track to reach our targeted distance at the midpoint of the six nations, raising £2,000 in the process.

Jacob Green, who played for the club’s U12s team, said: “The fundraising challenge is a great idea to raise some money for the club during the pandemic.

“It’s also great because it’s going to keep all the players active during lockdown.

“It’s really motivating as it’s something to work towards to during this difficult time.”

In Prime Minster Boris Johnson’s announcement on February 22, he revealed grassroots team sport including community rugby can return on Monday March 29.

Club Chairman Jane Hart added: “Oaks has struggled financially through the lockdown.

“We felt our members had always supported their club and now was the time to support them, so we haven't charged membership this season, Dave's idea of fundraising is helping fill the gap.

It has also brought our membership together giving them a common goal and many being naturally competitive it has spurred many members on.

“We are all proud to be an Oakmeadian and it is great to see the total growing every day.”

To donate to the club’s crowdfunding page, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/oakmeadians-rfc.