Crowborough rugby veteran going 'above and beyond' to raise money for charity

Nigel Pooley first came across Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby, through a chance meeting with an old school friend and rugby manager for the organisation - Matt Mitchell - in 2017.

Nigel said: “The Sussex branch Wooden Spoon had just funded Grove Park School for a new sensory room and Matt phoned up and asked if I would like to go along and represent Crowborough Rugby Club and I did.

“Afterwards we went out for lunch and had a little chat and before long Crowborough rugby club was the first rugby club in Sussex to be a partner of Wooden Spoon.”

Ever since 2019, Nigel has played for the National Wooden Spoon Vets team as a hooker and is one of the most capped players on the team.

Nigel says he takes fundraising for Wooden Spoon very seriously and has a reputation with his teammates for always going above and beyond with his fundraising for the charity.

He said: “I have a mentally handicapped cousin and I have seen all the way through his life what he has had to go through and endure.

“To see a charity that has raised money and benefited children who are disabled and disadvantaged was truly inspirational for me. I was wholeheartedly wanting to get involved with it as soon as possible.”

Fundraising efforts have included annual matches between the Mayfield College Old Boys and Crowborough Veterans, beard shaving, guest speakers at dinners, raffles and charity boxes regularly left on the bars at home games.

Last year, at a fundraising event, one of the players made a speech about his little boy with autism who had benefited from a Wooden Spoon funded playground.

Inspired by this story, two Sussex Veterans team members - Ben Martyn and Dan Turnock - cycled from Twickenham to Marseille in just 7 days to deliver the match ball for the European Rugby Champions Cup final and raise funds for the charity.

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Nigel was there with them, the whole way with the support vehicle ensuring they were well stocked with supplies on the road, as well as washing, cleaning, and cooking whilst at the overnight stays.

He said: “I've felt a part of something special, not only do I play for Sussex but I play for the National Vets side for Wooden Spoon.

“I had a stroke a few years back and one of the great things about my team was the amount of support I got from them. It really helped me through when I was going through a really troubled time.

“No matter what I'm going through in life or have gone through in life, I always know there are people that have a lot more to worry about.

“Those disabled and disadvantaged children, who aren't going to get any better, when you create something as simple as a sensory room or playground for them or you provide a minibus to escort them from one place to another.

“It's seeing the smiles on their faces that just makes the difference. You realise whatever your problems and your troubles are, they pale into insignificance.”

Nigel will lead the Sussex Vets team out at the Wooden Spoon’s Vets Fest on Saturday (October 8) at Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club, to raise money for local mental health projects supporting young people.

Wooden Spoon is a grant-making charity that funds life-changing projects across the UK & Ireland and has invited both male and female seasoned rugby professionals to come together to compete in an annual rugby tournament to raise funds for vulnerable children and young people across the UK.

To donate to the club’s cause click here