Netball For Good – Community Story

Here at Wales Netball, we were recently informed of an excellent community initiative catalysed by Abergele Netball Club for their 15^th year anniversary. They used this milestone to support women and babies in their local community and conducted a raffle to successfully donate over £1,000 to their chosen charity, Blossom & Bloom, based in North Wales. Read all about what the club had to say about this undertaking, including how the club came together, and what inspired them to give back.

Written by Abergele Netball Club:

The article celebrates the 15th anniversary of Abergele Netball Club (ANC). The club was founded by Hollie with a small group of six players and has grown to over 100 members today. ANC is committed to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all players, regardless of experience or ability. The club has also been involved in a number of community initiatives, including a recent charity raffle in support of Blossom & Bloom, North Wales.

15 years ago, Hollie started Abergele Netball Club (ANC) with a grand total of 6 players in her first session. It was started with the hope to allow women and girls to be able to access the sport regardless of experience, ability or age. An ethos that we still stand by today. It’s incredible to see how far the club has come in 15 years. The club has continued to thrive this season, with many new players joining. ANC currently have over 100 members! We are so proud of what the club is building and often receive comments from other clubs and spectators saying how nice a club we are, it’s called the ‘Abergele way’.

The club committee strive to make ANC an approachable, nurturing, safe and enjoyable space where friendships are made. We truly believe that ANC makes a positive difference in the lives of people who come through its doors. It develops not only physical and sporting ability, but develops confidence, supports mental well-being, fosters friendships and belonging. ANC is not just a club, it’s a community. A club as large and successful as ANC cannot run without the dedication of its committee members, coaches, umpires and players – to which we are extremely grateful.

Working with and giving back to the community has always been a huge part of the club. In keeping with the above aims and ethos of the club, the committee decided to organise a charity raffle to coincide with the club’s 15th anniversary celebration. Due to their much-needed work to support women, babies and children within the area, Blossom & Bloom, North Wales was the chosen charity (blossomandbloom.org.uk)-

“Our mission is to build brighter beginnings for young mothers and their babies living in North Wales. We will improve their well-being, keep them safe and enable them to build strong foundations for themselves and their babies.”

Raffle tickets were sold over the course of 2 weeks, and on the evening of the 15th anniversary celebration, with the club selling a fantastic 1147(!) tickets at £1 each. The club rounded the total to £1200 and a giant cheque was presented to the charity representatives (Ashleigh and Sharon) at the celebration. (pictured left).

We want to thank all the local businesses and club players that donated prizes and to all players, family and friends for purchasing tickets. The fundraising efforts would not have been as successful without all the support received. Thank you for helping us make a positive difference in the lives of individuals within our community. Every donation was deeply appreciated and will go a long way towards helping empower mothers in need, and ensure their little ones get the best possible start in life.

A huge thank you to everybody who has contributed to make ANC the club that it is today. Here’s to the next 15 years!