By Rachael Grealish

Organisers of the Whitehaven Rugby Union Football Club ‘Supporting the NHS’ shirt fundraiser have smashed their 100-shirt target and have raised over £2,000.

The club teamed up with Stag Performance to produce two different shirts with the slogan ‘Whitehaven RUFC supporting the NHS’ and have taken 267 orders for the shirt in less than a week.

Jordan Mattinson, a 27-year-old player for the club, is behind the design of the shirts and said everyone at the club is ‘so grateful for the support shown’.

“Well, we smashed that target of 100 anyways,” Jordan started, “Myself and Glynn Thomson (chairman of the club youth teams) ended up with 267 sales which was a total of at least £2160 to charity.

“Stag even said it’s one of the biggest orders they’ve dealt with.”

The total is going to be topped with with a £500 donation for Whitehaven RUFC Sharks Youth Team, leading to a total of £2,660.

Jordan added: “Because of the demand and support we’ve received we’re looking at the possibility of doing another order soon, which is just great.

“It was just we wanted to give something back as a rugby club but obviously with us being unable to open for the foreseeable we are struggling financially too, but obviously with the work the NHS are doing we still wanted to give something to show our gratitude.”

This is not the only way the currently out-of-action rugby club is ‘doing their bit’ to help at the moment, Jordan also said the club is also looking to show support to the North Lakes Foodbank by hosting them on Wednesdays.

“All the lads will be down mucking in and taking donations from the public to donate to North Lakes Foodbank, which will support vulnerable people in the Whitehaven area,” He explained.