Extra sessions laid on for didi rugby Harrogate launch

Mike Barnett wearing a didi rugby hoodie

The numbers of excited children and parents attending the launch of didi rugby Harrogate on Saturday 19 September have gone through the roof!

With all scheduled classes across the three didi age groups filling up at a tremendous pace, franchise owners Mike and Lucy Barnett have added another class for their minis (18 months to 3 years old).

And they have promised that if numbers continue to rise, they will not see anyone left out of what promises to be a fantastic day at Harrogate RUFC.

“The response we have received so far has been overwhelming,” said Lucy. “We are really looking forward to welcoming everyone and introducing lots of children to our fun didi rugby sessions.

“Over 40 children have already booked in to the three taster sessions we are offering and, due to the high demand, we have now added another one too.

“If this becomes full, we want to assure parents and children that we will add further classes if necessary. We don’t want anyone to miss out.

“Our aim at didi rugby Harrogate is to get children active as young as possible to aid their development, confidence and skills so we are thrilled that so many little ones want to come along and see what we have on offer.

“It’s going to be a fantastic fun day and we can’t wait to get started on our new didi journey.”

The launch will be didi rugby’s second new area launch since the end of blanket lockdown restrictions. didi rugby Suffolk opened its doors in Leiston last month.

Barnett family

The Harrogate team of Lucy, Mike, Maisie and Martha Barnett will make it very much a family affair with a team that is dedicated to helping children have fun, stay active and grow in confidence.

Mike and Lucy have an extensive background in both rugby and teaching and their popularity in the local area is proving obvious with the amount of interest shown in their launch day and future classes with didi rugby Harrogate.

didi rugby CEO and owner Vicky Macqueen says she is delighted not only for Mike and Lucy and all of the hard work they have put in so far, but also because of the response to didi classes returning across the country since the end of lockdown.

“I am confident that Mike, Lucy and Maisie will do an amazing job spreading the values of didi rugby right across the area in and around Harrogate,” says Vicky.

“They have worked incredibly hard to let people know about didi rugby and the response has been absolutely wonderful from the public.

“We have seen parents flocking back to didi rugby in recent weeks with one of our areas doubling their membership in just six weeks. Parents are keen to get their children active and have responded to our safely-delivered, outdoor classes in numbers.

“We are all really chuffed that didi rugby – and our newly-launched didi cricket sessions too – are thriving after such a tumultuous period in everyone’s lives.

“I cannot thank our children, parents, carers and supporters enough for continuing the spread of didi sports around the UK and beyond.”

  • Keep up to date with the latest news from didi rugby Harrogate by following their Facebook page.

Read more: Read more about the Barnett family and why they are determined to make didi rugby Harrogate such a big success

Book a didi rugby birthday party in the Harrogate area

Book a didi rugby birthday party in the Harrogate area

Are you looking for somewhere to celebrate your child’s birthday in a safe, fun and sporty environment?

Do you want your little ones to be active, involved and having a laugh with their friends?

didi rugby birthday parties are a great way for us to put a smile on your child’s face on their special day in the didi rugby Harrogate area.

Your choice of venue anywhere in the Harrogate didi rugby area

click here to find out more about didi rugby Harrogate

Contact Lucy Barnett – 07814 873132    
lucy.barnett@didirugby.com

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Find a didi rugby class in Harrogate at Harrogate RUFC

Find a didi rugby class in Harrogate at Harrogate RUFC

Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Harrogate at Harrogate RUFC. There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.

Our program is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.

These classes are ideal for children living in: Harrogate, Pannal, Beckwithshaw, Knaresborough, Birstwith, Follifoot, Hampsthwaite, Ripley, Leathley, Killinghall and Farnham.

Harrogate RUFC

Rudding Lane
Harrogate
North Yorkshire
HG3 1DQ

click here to find out more about didi rugby Harrogate

Contact Lucy Barnett – 07814 873132  
lucy.barnett@didirugby.com

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Find a didi rugby class in Harrogate

About didi rugby Harrogate

Contact – 07814 873132  
lucy.barnett@didirugby.com

Lucy, Mike and Maisie Barnett – didi rugby Harrogate

didi rugby Harrogate, Lucy Barnett, Mike Barnett and Maisie Barnett are dedicated to helping children have fun, be confident and stay active for life.

With their rugby-playing skills and coaching knowledge from multiple sports, they have a passion to get children and young people involved in rugby and all sports, whether that be playing, coaching or refereeing.

didi rugby Harrogate is a family business and those family values are very important to us. It is one of our biggest motivations, which is one of the motivations we share strongly with didi rugby.

Our aim is to create a wider family of parents and children in the local community among which we can share the values gained from a lifelong involvement in physical education and sport.

We will have a supportive, caring, fun and creative environment for our members to enjoy and develop in. We will treat everyone with an individual touch and are passionate about the benefits of involvement in lifelong physical activity and health for all.

Our family team care about helping to develop confident children and believe the core values of rugby can help that development.

Mike Barnett says…

“I have been a primary and secondary teacher in both state and private schools, progressing to become a head of PE and games as well as a director of sport.”

“Alongside this, I played club and county rugby level and then moved into coaching at Championship men’s club level.”

“I progressed to coach the England Women’s A team, where I first met didi rugby founder Vicky Macqueen and was a member of the full England coaching team at the 2010 World Cup. ”

“I am an RFU level 5 coach, one of only 24 to have gained that qualification and am also a senior coach developer working in the RFU (Rugby Union) Coach Education programme.”

“In 2013, I was appointed as RFU Area Manager and in 2018 I moved into a new national position in rugby development as Age Grade Rugby Manager. ”

“As you may have gathered, I am rather passionate about rugby!”

 

Lucy Barnett says…

“I am a busy housewife with two lovely daughters, Maisie and Martha.”

“When they were younger, I was vice-chair of their school PTA and over the years, I have been actively involved in many local community projects and charities. ”

“Mike and I ran a successful children’s summer sports camp for five years at Harrogate Cricket Club which was great fun!”

“Six years ago, I took on the role of manager for a new women’s team at Harrogate RUFC, alongside Mike, in the role of coaching co-ordinator. The team started in the lowest league and have worked their way up to become a Championship side now.”

“We always encourage new player development and are now proud to also have a second team in the National Women’s League too.”

 

Maisie Barnett says…

“I am a fully qualified primary teacher with a degree in early years and am passionate about all aspects of children’s learning and development.”

“I also play women’s rugby for Harrogate Ladies 1st XV in Championship 1 North.”

Book a class in the didi rugby Harrogate area

Find a didi rugby class in Leicester at Birstall RFC

Find a didi rugby class in Leicester at Birstall RFC

Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes in Leicester at Birstall RFC. There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.

Our program is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.

These classes are ideal for children living in: Leicester, Birstall, Belgrave, Rushey Mead, Wanlip, Thurmaston and Humberstone.

Birstall RFC

Birstall Road
Leicester
Leicestershire
LE4 4DJ

Book classes ran by didi rugby Leicester

Contact Jenny Burrows – 07814 293285  
jenny.burrows@didirugby.com

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Book a didi rugby birthday party in the Leicester area

Book a didi rugby birthday party in the Leicester area

Are you looking for somewhere to celebrate your child’s birthday in a safe, fun and sporty environment?

Do you want your little ones to be active, involved and having a laugh with their friends?

didi rugby birthday parties are a great way for us to put a smile on your child’s face on their special day in the didi rugby Leicester area.

Your choice of venue anywhere in the Leicester didi rugby area

Ran by didi rugby Leicester

Contact Jenny Burrows – 07814 293285    
jenny.burrows@didirugby.com

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Find a didi rugby class in Leicester

About didi rugby Leicester

Contact – 07814293285  
jenny.burrows@didirugby.com

Jenny Burrows – didi rugby Leicester

The owner of didi rugby Leicester, Jenny Burrows, is dedicated to helping children have fun, be confident and stay active for life.

Jenny is a Level 6 rugby referee, has a wealth of experience and a host of contacts throughout the Leicestershire Rugby Union.

She is dedicated to spreading the values of didi rugby far and wide throughout Leicester and helping as many people as possible in a rugby-mad city get involved in the sport.

Jenny Burrows didi rugby Leicester

A few words about Jenny

Jenny played rugby for Stoneygate ladies for 10 years, before taking up refereeing.

Before setting up didi rugby Leicester, Jenny assisted didi rugby CEO Vicky McQueen with her Hinckley session and was head coach at Shepshed didi rugby. Having experienced working along side Vicky, Jenny decided she wanted to help share what didi rugby is all about by setting up the didi rugby Leicester Franchise.

Working alongside Vicky at Hinckley I saw first hand how the kids grew in confidence over time and believe that didi rugby helped with this massively.

I fully buy into the didi rugby values and think that it provides a great foundation for the kids.

Rugby and getting active has helped me throughout my life and hope we can give that same experience to the kids of Leicester

Book a class in the didi rugby Leicester area

Find a didi rugby class in Cheltenham at Cheltenham North RFC

Find a didi rugby class in Cheltenham at Cheltenham North RFC

Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes at Cheltenham North RFC in Cheltenham.

There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.

Our programme is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.

These classes are ideal for children living in: Stoke Orchard, Tredington, Hardwicke, Coombe Hill, Deerhurst Walton, Elmstone Hardwicke, Boddington, Fiddington and Brockhampton.

Cheltenham North RFC

Stoke Orchard road
Bishops Cleeve
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 7DG

Ran by didi sport Cheltenham
Contact Keith Smith – 07846 597813
keith.smith@didirugby.com

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Find a didi rugby class in Nottingham at Gotham Recreation Ground

Find a didi rugby class in Nottingham at Gotham Recreation Ground

Introduce your children to rugby at a young age with didi rugby classes at Gotham Recreation Ground. There are three age groups: 18 months to three years, three to four and four to six.

Our program is designed to get kids active, teach them new skills and improve their co-ordination, speed and balance. It will also help them learn social skills while they have lots of fun in a positive, safe and friendly environment.

These classes are ideal for children living in: Nottingham, Wilford, Lenton, The Meadows, Lenton Abbey, Ryelands and Clifton.

Gotham Recreation Ground

Nottingham Road
Gotham
Nottingham
NG11 0HE

Ran by didi rugby Nottingham
Contact Marie Chaston – 07853 335425
marie.chaston@didirugby.com

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didi sports to be piloted in educational settings and schools

The didi sport logo

Hinckley and Reading have been chosen as the first two areas for a pilot scheme which is set to see didi rugby provide an expanded offering to schools.

Starting in September, educational settings including nurseries and pre-schools will be able to book a didi sports session.

The didi sport logo

This will see classes receive a varied sports programme throughout each term which will include sports like: rugby, cricket, basketball and dodgeball.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen said she had listened to numerous requests from schools for this sort of programme.

School or nursery

“The success of didi rugby over the past two years has put us in a strong position to develop didi sports sessions,” she said.

“My area of Hinckley and the amazing team in Reading are very excited to start delivering this.

“Every school or nursery which invites us in can be confident they will be getting a very high quality delivery from a didi sports class because of the reputation we have built up with didi rugby.

“That business has been built up around rugby because of my background as an international playing for England. But I am a qualified PE teacher, I have been head of sport at a high school and have also been in a sports co-ordinator role so a multi-skilled offering has always been on the radar.

“Schools and nurseries have told us that they like to mix their activities.” Vicky Macqueen

 

“Schools and nurseries have told us that they like to mix their activities so it fits in well with what we are going to pilot – and hopefully roll out across the UK over time.

“Our classes will encourage pace, variety and challenge throughout. Children will add to their physical literacy and we are always committed to promoting a multi-skilled approach to learning whatever sport we offer.”

Craig Hunter, co-owner of didi rugby Reading, said: “We are really excited to be working with Vicky to start offering didi sports across the Reading area as soon as it is safe to do so from September.

“As schools, including after schools clubs and leisure centres start to get going again after lockdown, it is important that the younger children in the 18 moths to 6-years-old age range are not forgotten.”

Outdoor venues

didi rugby classes are already back up and running in most franchise areas across the UK with safe and socially-distanced classes proving a huge success at outdoor venues.

didi cricket pilot schemes were successfully launched in the Cheltenham and Gloucestershire areas before the pandemic and will now be rolled out in at least six other areas across the UK from next month onwards.

The didi sports offering will be specifically aimed at educational settings for the time being.

Read more:  Book your child on for a free taster session at any of our venues across the UK

Watch: didi cricket classes in January saw the first expansion of the didi rugby offering