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Kiri Bennett and dad Rich, both believe in passing on the benefits of physical activity to the younger generation.

Kiri’s two-year-old daughter Ayaana is already reaping the rewards of her mum’s passion.

And with Rich having taught physical education for 40 years, he brings a vast amount of the knowledge to the launch of a new franchise.

Kiri and Rich will be spreading theirs beliefs throughout South Warwickshire after finding the perfect fit for their values in didi Rugby.

Now, children and parents in places like Coventry, Kenilworth and other villages and towns in the area will be able to attend didi Rugby classes and share in her vision to get young children active and healthy while having fun.

“I have a real passion for physical activity and want to share and promote my love for it towards the new generation,” said Kiri. “I believe in the importance of physical activity and how it should begin at a young age to promote all of the incredible benefits it provides.

“I believe not only in the physical well-being didi Rugby offers children but also in the other social and mental aspects it provides too. Whatever path a child chooses to take in later life, the benefits of fundamental movement and physical skills cannot be understated.”

Kiri knows a thing or two about rugby too! Having played competitive rugby from an early age, she represented Great Britain University 7s team, captained the University if Wales Institute (now Cardiff Met) and has a BSC in Sport and Physical Education.

“I lived and worked in Sydney for over four years where I gained a lot of experience in sport development and customer relations so I can’t wait to launch this new didi Rugby franchise,” added Kiri.

Rich meanwhile, has taught physical education and special educational needs for 40 years. As part of that work, he qualified as a councillor and specialised in working with students who suffer from anxiety.

didi Rugby Reading will launch their link with London Irish RFC on Sunday 15 April at the Madejski Stadium.

The Exiles will welcome champions Exeter Chiefs later that day in the Aviva Premiership and anyone involved in the didi fun on the day will also be offered heavily discounted tickets to what promises to be a fascinating game at 3.00pm.

didi Rugby Reading will be offering free 40-minute taster sessions to children between the ages of 18 months and six years old, from midday until 2pm, inside the stadium.

Our sessions are open to existing didi Rugby Reading superstars – but we will also be delighted to welcome new players to come and give us a try!

didi Rugby Reading’s Craig Hunter has been integral in this community link and will be ensuring that little ones and their families are inspired to join in and feel a part of didi Rugby and London Irish.

didi Rugby owner Vicky Macqueen recently led a special day for didi Rugby youngsters at Wasps RFC and she says this represents another great development for the company.

“We are so excited to announce our link with London Irish RFC,” she said. “Craig has done an amazing job to build links with such a strong, family-inspired club and we hope that link goes from strength to strength.”

Match tickets for didi stars and their families are priced at:
Adults – £10
Children 13 to 18 – £5
Under-13s – FREE.

It is a huge honour to welcome Wales rugby legend Gareth Thomas to our growing list of didi Rugby ambassadors.

Gareth was keen to become more involved and help children become more active after visiting Robyn Lock at the Swansea classes of didi.

He was there as the host of a BBC programme previewing the 2018 Six Nations tournament to recognise Robyn’s services to the sport in Wales.

Excited by what he saw, Gareth agreed to become a didi ambassador and will now join the didi family and bring all his enthusiasm and experience to the set-up.

With 100 Test match caps to his name, Gareth was the most-capped Wales rugby union player until he was overtaken by Stephen Jones in 2011. Gareth is the second-highest Wales try-scorer behind Shane Williams.

His club rugby saw him become influential for the likes of Bridgend, Cardiff and Toulouse and as an almost ever-present international, he lit up stadiums the world over with an incredible try-scoring record.

He also captained the British & Irish Lions in the second and third Tests on the 2005 tour of New Zealand.

Nicknamed ‘Alfie’, Gareth moved into broadcasting and the media after his retirement from the game. He was an analyst on the 2011 and 2015 World Cup and has also appeared on mainstream TV shows like Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing on Ice.

Katy Daley-Maclean, England Women’s World Cup-winning captain from the 2014 has become a didi Rugby ambassador.

A school teacher by trade, Katy says she knows the true value of getting young children involved in sport at such a young age.

And that is only one of the benefits of attending a didi Rugby class around the country.

“What an absolutely brilliant initiative this is, getting young children into our brilliant game of rugby,” she says.

“didi will improve their confidence, social skills and provide them with the ability to get active at such a young age.

“It is absolutely fantastic and something that I am very proud to become a part of. Take your young person and get involved in didi Rugby!”

Katy led England Women to World Cup glory as their captain when they beat Canada 23-9 in the final in France in 2014. She received an MBE in the 2014 New Year Honours list.

The World Cup win was one of a number of medals that Katy has won at the top of the women’s game and she is hugely respected throughout the sport.

She also represented Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rugby Sevens.

Find out more about didi Rugby and book your child onto a free taster session at one of a number of sites around the country.

Find out more about Katy and book her for public speaking at her personal website: http://www.katymclean10.com

Didi children, parents and coaches enjoyed a day out to remember at Wasps RFC.

While the Aviva Premiership title-chasing home side were preparing to beat London Irish 24-16 on home turn at The Ricoh Stadium in Coventry, dozens of visitors representing didi Rugby were putting on an “awesome show” in the fans’ village.

Didi Rugby owner Vicky Macqueen said she was incredibly proud as children from classes from all over the Midlands – and even some from Hertfordshire – showed off their skills in a demonstartion.

“It was awesome display from our didis at Wasps,” said Vicky. “Children from all over the Midlands were there and it was great to see some from Hertfordshire venturing up for the occasion too.

“It was lovely to have them all together and they put on an awesome display. They were showing off their skills and displaying great team work and friendship with their little team mates.

“We had lovely comments from parents who were with their children, and people just watching to see our didi stars in action.

“Well done to everybody involved, coaches, players, parents, Hannah Faulds and the Wasps staff who all made the occasion so special for us.”

It’s always time to take stock as the calendar year comes to an end and, personally, it has been truly rewarding seeing the growth of the didi Rugby during 2017.

Not only in terms of the growth within our own country, but with the amount of interest we have had from abroad too.

I believe passionately in what we are doing so the idea of spreading the word far and wide, across the oceans, is something that really excites me. Let’s spread the love.

Domestically, in the UK, we have welcomed a new franchise in Swansea run by Robyn and Andrew Lock, one in Ascot & Windsor run by Hannah Field and most recently one in Reading run by Craig Hunter.

Swansea launches in early December and Ascot & Windsor will be getting underway early in the New Year, as will our New Zealand branch of didi Rugby, based in Canterbury.

We are looking forward to creating exciting and well-attended launches to support all of the hard work that the guys have put into setting them up.

We are just putting the finishing touches to confirming some big-name ambassadors to support Swansea too so watch this space.

We have begun classes in Reading recently at Westwood Farm Schools and there will be more to come in areas like: Bedfordshire, Isle of Man, Brighton, Bromley (London) and Staffordshire in 2018.

I am so excited to give more children across the UK and abroad the opportunity to be a part of didi Rugby. I have seen the physical, social and developmental benefits as both a mum, a hands-on coach and also from a didi Rugby founder point of view. I am so pleased with the positive effects on the children involved and the feedback we have been receiving has been fantastic.

Our online shop has now launched – watch out for our January sale!

This will allow anyone to click onto didi Rugby and purchase our kit and range of accessories. We pride ourselves in not making kit compulsory for children but it is funky and cool – if I do say so myself! Our accessories like water bottles, balls, and bags are proving very popular.

Also growing is our list of didi Rugby ambassadors who have put their name to our business because they believe in the values that we are spreading through our classes.

These ambassadors work hard to attend local classes and make themselves available for presentations and holiday camps when they have time. We are truly grateful to each and every one of the following: Sarah Hunter, Natasha “Mo” Hunt, Emily Scarratt, Geordan Murphy, Scott Hamilton, Sam Harrison, Harry Ellis, Justine Lucas, Louis Deacon, Graham Rowntree, George Chuter, Maggie Alphonsi, Vicky Fleetwood, Matt Elliott, Rosemary Conley and Gary Street.

There are more to come over the coming months too and I am sure 2018 will be an exciting time for anyone involved with didi Rugby!

A new didi Rugby franchise has just launched in Yorkshire and, in a close-knit county, it is no surprise that this is a real family affair.

Husband and wife Pete and Emma Cutress are ploughing their passion for the sport of rugby into the new set-up and have a vested interest in making it a success…because their own kids will be getting involved too.

“I am so excited about the launch of didi Yorkshire as this gives the opportunity to share my passion and enthusiasm for providing a safe, fun environment for children to grow, learn and develop key skills in,” said Emma.

“Having two small children ourselves, this kind of active class for youngsters is something which is really important to me because it encourages them to develop confidence in not only themselves but their ability to make new friends and overall, have fun!

“It is a great opportunity for parents to meet and build new friendships too, something which is vital when you have little ones ruling the house!

“didi Rugby is the kind of group which is helping my children to shine and I can’t wait to see the positive impact it has on others too.”

Coming from a family with an older brother and sports-loving father, much of Emma’s childhood was spent on the sidelines cheering on, one or the other.

She soon realised the value of sport, not only on a community but for its ability to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. Now, with two children of their own, Emma, Pete and the kids love a walk and they swim as often as possible.

Inspired by the success of didi Rugby founder Vicky Macqueen in her home county of Leicestershire, Emma and Pete are determined to make their didi base just as popular and entertaining for the young children in Yorkshire.

“Having watched Vicky’s passion turn didi Rugby into such a success in her hometown, it seemed like the obvious next step for us,” she said.

“Pete and I have been keen to ensure that our children grow up happy, confident and healthy, whilst understanding the importance of fun in everything they do – and now it’s going to be our job!”

The first few weeks of 2018 have been really busy for didi Rugby and I have feel like I have seen most parts of the country at least once.

But it has been ‘good busy’ because the growth of didi franchises across the UK is great to see.

In a short matter of time, we have launched didi bases in Reading, Swansea and Ascot and there were some really good things going on at all of them.

Our Swansea set-up was quickly welcoming the BBC cameras in to film a piece with owner Robyn Lock as she was surprised by former Wales international Gareth Thomas’ visit to a didi class. He was filming a piece which went on BBC Wales’ introduction to the Six Nations and he recognised Robyn with some Six Nations tickets for her services to the sport.

If that wasn’t good enough, Gareth then agreed to become an ambassador for didi Swansea to help spread the word.

In Reading, World Cup winner Alex Matthews has got on board as an ambassador and there is another big star on their way who we can announce shortly.

The launch parties at Ascot and Windsor were incredible and there has already been great growth in the area with some very well-attended classes.

There have been many people approaching us to talk about franchise opportunities. And while we want to spread the didi family far and wide, we also want to make sure that we work with the right people and with people who are passionate and driven for the long haul, not just in the short term.

We want to make sure that every didi Rugby franchise that gets going carries the same ethos as the rest of them and delivers the same success stories up and down the country.

Next up are launches in Yorkshire and Bedfordshire which lots of people are looking forward to and we have newly-designed didi kit and leisure wear coming soon too.

The growth of the business is one thing, but it has also been rewarding to see the impact we are having on children’s health and well-being too.

Watching those who have visited us with their mums and dads grow in skill-set and confidence has been fantastic to see and we are determined to spread that growth far and wide over 2018.

Here’s to another busy 11 months. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

didi rugby are delighted to have been part of the working group that has led to the launch of the new Rugby Union (RFU) framework for England Rugby Early Years Guidance.

Every RFU-affiliated club in England will now receive a copy of the Guidance Framework.

The game’s governing body are aware of the significance of building a pipeline of rugby players from a young age and have responded to the fact that clubs around the country are starting to show a keen interest in working with the 18 month to five years age group.

As a result, the RFU have been a developing practical guidance and information for clubs and providers. They invited didi rugby CEO Vicky Macqueen to be part of the working group that has contributed to the final document because didi rugby is already a well-respected nationwide provider for that age group.

Vicky was also invited to appear in the RFU’s official video (above) to promote the guidance.

didi rugby runs classes for children aged 18 months to six years nationwide and has links in place with clubs all over the country to help provide a stream of able and confident youngsters for clubs’ mini sections when they become too old for didi rugby.

Vicky said: “It’s really important to make sure that children are healthy, active and confident and this is all about putting a framework in place to hopefully achieve this.

“It has been great to be able to add my experience and contribute to this framework. Now there is a guideline out there that clubs can access and come to people like us to ask if we can deliver it for them because they want it doing at a high standard.

“didi rugby classes develop skills like movement, agility, listening, communication and working with others and we have loved seeing the results of our sessions over the past three years.

“Ultimately, it’s about making sure the children and their parents are all getting a great education, being passionate about physical activity and getting more people involved in the wonderful game of rugby.”

The RFU’s Kids First Development Manager Adam Cottingham hoped that providers who offer well-considered activities while displaying rugby’s core values, will encourage children and their parents to develop a love for the sport.

“England Rugby Early Years Guidance was created to provide a club or provider with guidance and information on how to create safe, enjoyable age and stage-appropriate activity for children aged 18 months to five years.

“This piece of work was pulled together in conjunction with experts in the field to ensure that any guidance we created was usable and easily understood.

“England Rugby want any activity at this age group to be fun, first of all, and to foster a love for sport, physical activity and rugby union.”

didi rugby are fully behind the England Rugby Early Years Guidance and are available to consult, offer advice, set-up and run classes within rugby clubs around the country.

For further information to see how we could work with your club, contact Vicky Macqueen on (07812) 082375 or email Vicky@didirugby.com.

To see how didi rugby’s partnership with local clubs have improved their minis section, watch these videos with the chairman of Coventry RFC and Hinckley RFC.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen writes about some new figures from the National Child Measurement Programme which shows a worrying percentage of young children are obese.

It really is a startling fact.

Latest statistics from the National Child Measurement Programme show that almost 10% of four to five-year-olds in England are obese.

As the owner of a business that tries to encourage children of that age to be active and healthy, it’s a fact that really hit home.
Clearly, as a country, we need to be doing more.

Not just because the benefits of being active will help kids avoid becoming part of that 10% right now. But also because it can help them avoid some really serious issues in later life.

Reacting to those figures, a well-respected doctor, who is battling to reduce childhood obesity, is warning that children in England are already developing life-threatening illnesses because the issue is not being tackled properly by the Government.

Dr William Bird MBE has been a GP in Reading for the last 25 years.

“Something is going badly wrong. Childhood obesity didn’t exist 100 years ago. It’s a man-made creation,” he told Sky News.

“What we are seeing is in the fat cells in the body, particularly in the tummy, they create inflammation which attacks the brain and arteries and that leads to diabetes, dementia even, depression and anxiety and cardiovascular diseases.”

None of us want those conditions to emerge in just one child, let alone what must be a staggering number of children who are classed as obese under these findings.

While Dr Bird criticises the Government for not doing more, it is down to parents to up their game too. Governing parties can put any number of schemes and ideas forward as ways to keep our youngsters active – but parents are the ones who make the decisions as to what activities will be done as a family.