November Newsletter

A message from our Chair - David Durbin

I hope you are all enjoying this World Cup as much as I am. So much rugby to watch almost on a daily basis. It’s heaven! We now of course getting to the business end and the matches will be more evenly matched. Good also to see the Ladies and the Wheelchair’s now entering the fray. Can England make it to the final, your guess is as good as mine! Closer to home, what a fantastic turnout to welcome our new Club Board. The evening was informative and in parts entertaining. There is clearly a lot of work to do for the Board and us ALL in getting behind the changes needed to move the Club onwards and upwards. The new signings are a good start and show that there will be no letting up in the attempt to get us right at the top of our league again next season. Thank you for renewing memberships and entering the match day dining competition on the evening and of course the auctions went very well too, more proceeds for the Club! These are of course along with the Fantasy League that is available on our website. Also there will be some one off winter jackets available at silly prices and if local, the delivery will be free! Next year of course is the big one, our 150th year and planning has already started for this so there will be plenty to enjoy and support. More details coming soon.


Panthers Wheelchair Team

We were recently proud to present the wheelchair team with a donation of £100 to go towards a new wheelchair for some up and coming recruits. Malcolm Kielty has said that the initial target was to raise £1500 but the current total stands at £6800!! What an incredible response and this will hopefully go some way to supporting this is amazing sport!


Panthers’ Community Update from Kara Colvin •

We’ve secured 2 more schools in our campaign to spread panthers across the Calderdale area. • Try high has happened again and was a spooky success!! • Panthers Christmas card campaign is starting this week in all primary schools across Calderdale and every child who enters the Christmas card competition will receive a free season ticket! • The Women’s academy and men’s academy is going from strength to strength • Plans to get back into community clubs doing guest sessions is happening behind the scenes for when the community clubs come back to training • Alongside high school and primary school coaching as well as the academy coaching it has been a busy month! Kind Regards, Kara Colvin 07309782215 General Manager – Community Panthers CIC Halifax


Halifax Heritage Rugby League Lunch Club Monday 14 November 2022 at HALIFAX BOWLING CLUB, HX1 4JT This month we have some fantastic guests: Ian Foye 11.00am till 12noon Lunch Michael Hagan 12-30 pm till 1-30pm Bar open with two course lunch for £3.99 To reserve a place ring or e-mail: Chris Mitchell: 07947-827627 or chris-mitchell@live.co.uk


Maureen’s Finance Bank Balance as of 7 Nov £6722

October Newsletter

A message from our Chair - David Durbin Despite the disappointing end what a great season we have had! A massive thank you to Simon and all the lads for giving us some of the best rugby that has been played for a long time. Entertaining, quick and full hearted is all that you want from your team and this was delivered in bucket loads. No wonder Simon was nominated for coach of the season and Joe Keyes for the player award as this was thoroughly deserved. The start of the new season can’t come quickly enough for me and more of the same style will I’m sure take us that step further. Bring in on!! Your Trust Board are now in the planning stage for next year with an updated website in terms of merchandise, and of course you will still be able renew your memberships through it which runs out at the end of December. We will still be in attendance on home match days and if you have any pre-loved or unwanted shirts/shorts or any other rugby merchandise to donate please contact any Board members or myself on 07790 852196 and we will be happy to collect them from you. This has been a very successful way of raising funds for the Club which I hope you still feel able to support. If you have any ideas on other fundraising opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact us. The season might be over but we are still working on behalf of you and the club. David (faxmad@aol.com)


Panthers Wheelchair Grand final winners!!! Halifax Panthers wheelchair rugby league club were classed as the underdogs in the games Grand Final. Leeds finished top of the domestic league having lost only once, that loss was in fact to Halifax at the beginning of the season when they were short of several internationals. Both sides were at full strength and it was Fax who won the archetypical game of two halves going in at half time 36-16 ahead. Leeds however came out and clearly had a different game plan with accurate out of hand kicking to turn the Panthers around time and time again, plus scoring back to back converted tries to claw their way back to 36-28. Fax pulled away again on their rare time in the Leeds half, 42 – 28. However, with 8 minutes to go it was 42-42. Rob Hawkins, who in his early days was a Shay ball-boy, scored twice and converted one for the Panthers to lead 52-42. With two minutes to go Leeds squeezed in for converted try and were now 4 points behind 52 -48. Halifax however held out and went wild with their celebrations in front of the Sky and BBC sports cameras. Now these players will be mostly on the same team as the World Cup starts for them on 1st November. All games being televised. We would love to see some of you at our games next season – Kind regards – Malcolm Kielty


Panthers’ Community Update from Kara Colvin This month the community panthers have been; • Coaching in 3 different primary schools, active lunch times as well as after school clubs, securing some of the primary schools from the last academic year and now having two new schools on board with the programmes. • Coaching in 4 high schools, after school clubs only at the minute with a view to join in with the pe curriculum next year and coach within the pe sessions for all years. • Meetings and discussions have been had with Bradford girls’ grammar to coach their newly formed tag team – who will compete in games against other schools, branching out of Calderdale but the need and want is there so I’m on it. • Several primary schools are already on board for the shay show down tournament to happen next year so the planning is in progress now to have all the primary schools wanting to compete at Calderdale college for a huge tournament next year. • Community club coaching from panthers is still ongoing, with more community clubs asking for a panther presence which is amazing. • The last game for the men’s team at the shay proved a huge success with engagement with community clubs as we saw the biggest gathering from them – 498 people bought tickets for the game from community clubs alone! • The men’s and women’s academies have had their first games of the season and both came home with wins, the women’s academy has boosted its numbers and has a player chosen for the England DiCE pathway. • Work continues for the world cup game being held at the shay in the next coming week. • The end of October sees another try high camp – alongside Calder community squash and Invictus well being the panthers will be there once again. • Several different projects are awaiting funding, but funding has been received to run a healthy eating and rugby 40 week programme for not so affluent areas of Calderdale so this is now going to start taking place. • Violence reduction unit across Yorkshire are willing to work with panthers in the upcoming months so watch this space!! • The world cup trophies will be at the piece hall on the Friday before the shay host the world cup warm up game – alongside the Tongan player, French players, Halifax men’s, women’s, wheelchair and academy teams. • Name the mascot is going to get underway in schools this month to name our mascots and spread the panther brand. Kind Regards, Kara Colvin 07309782215 Community Development and Engagement Manager – Community Panthers CIC


Maureen’s Finance Bank Balance as of 4th October is £10,675

September Newsletter

A message from our Chair - David Durbin One game to go and we sit in third place! Who would have thought at the start of the season this is we’re we would be? We have seen some great rugby played this year notably our whitewash of the Bulls and our comeback against Barrow with eleven men. The new signings once they gelled have proved great value to the Club and it’s really good to see that we are keeping the majority of the squad together for next season. After our win at Widnes full credit must go to Simon and all at the Club. What a defensive effort!! A win against Fev would put the icing on the cake as we head into the playoffs! Our next fundraising will be our market stall in Halifax by Wilkinson’s in the town centre on Saturday 17th September, 9am-3pm. We hope to see you there for some amazing bargains! Our on-line auctions will continue shortly and of course we have our ever popular quiz at the Ivy House on the 28th of this month starting at 8pm. Now it’s time for a plea!! We are running out of pre-loved rugby merchandise so if you have any that you would like to donate, you can bring it down to our market stall on Saturday 17th September, to any home game or give me a call on 07790 852916 and I will be happy to collect them from you. All funds raised will support the Halifax Panthers. David (faxmad@aol.com)


Panthers’ Community Update from Kara Colvin Hi all, • Try high has ran all through august and has come to a close last week. Seeing over 450 children in the summers camps with plenty of involvement from myself, Dan Murray, Louis and Lachlan. • SmartArt has been a brilliant project alongside Halifax opportunities trust and artworks enabling children from non-affluent backgrounds to enjoy art with rugby! We painted plenty of beautiful pictures with rugby balls! • Continued work throughout community clubs with guest coaching from myself, Brighouse, Elland, King cross, Siddal and Greetland to name a few. • Now were in September I’ve been liaising with high schools and primary schools to get back into them developing the sport. • Plans continue for the World Cup game in October with plans for a World Cup trophy event at the Piece hall and pre entertainment with the schools in the area. • There has been a huge increase in community club present on game days with hopes to have a club chant event on Sunday 11th September. Kind Regards, Kara Colvin 07309782215 General Manager – Community Panthers CIC


Maureen’s Finance Current Bank Balance £9,396. The Trust wishes to thank everyone who has supported us, either by purchasing merchandise, buying auction items, contributed to our bucket collections, attended our monthly quiz or given us preloved merchandise to sell.

August Newsletter

A message from our Chair - David Durbin The win over the Bulls made up for the disappointment of losing out to the Broncos. A much better performance which got us back to winning ways and consolidated our position at the top end of the table. Our win over Batley was all together something else! An excellent team performance with Salty claiming four great tries which was a joy to watch. The Eagles up next so let’s hope we can keep this momentum going and further cement our third place. This is another one not to miss so let’s get down there in numbers and give the team that important boost! The recruitment for next season is gathering apace and as you will have seen your support and contributions have enabled the Club to re-sign Lachlan and Louis. We are extremely grateful as your support is always appreciated. As you know our shirt sales on match days are proving very popular. However we are running short of children’s, medium and large shirts so please have a look in your cupboards. You can bring them down to any home games or I will be happy to pick them up from you. You can contact me on 07790 852196 to arrange collection at a time which is convenient for you. Our next fundraising outside of the Shay is a market stall in Halifax opposite Wilkinson’s on Saturday 17th September. Hope to see you there!


Panthers’ Community Update from Kara Colvin Hi everyone! This week the CIC panthers have been working hard in the Try High holiday camps, across 2 venues giving the children a panthers training session and a 4 day long activity packed camp experience with the help myself, Dan Murray and Louis Joufrett. These are being run alongside Invictus Wellbeing and Calder community squash. We’ve also been working at the outback centre with Artworks Puy Soden, Halifax Opportunities Trust Lisa Connolly and Halifax Panthers (me) using rugby balls to paint - which will eventually become several art pieces to be displayed around Calderdale! Alongside that we had 3 community clubs down to the shay this Sunday to mascot for the men’s game and have a half time parade. Summer will be mostly taken up by the camps and the paint project - but I’m also developing a coaching workshop for all Calderdale community clubs alongside the RFL to continue the development of coaches at all community clubs.


CONGRATULATIONS Prize Draw Winner Chris Lawson - £20 Club shop voucher


Maureen’s Finance Current Balance - £8429

July Newsletter

A message from our Chair - David Durbin During a season you will always get some extraordinarily results, none more so than our win against Barrow. For the second time this year we have seen how our team of eleven have overcome the odds and produced a quite remarkable win. One for sure that will live long in the memory. Our win over Dewsbury has further consolidated our position at the right end of the table especially as the other results have gone our way and been very helpful. Thank you to everyone who attended our John Bentley dinner which was hugely successful! A massive thank you to John of course and to Jonny Lawless who hosted the evening. The night was sponsored by Steve Craven and we had further support from Ian Utterly, Chris Kershaw, John and Linda Kitson who all bought the gold table package. With the addition of ex players who attended including Jamie Bloem, Andy Hobson, Mike Umanga we had a recipe for a very good evening indeed! Finally, our thanks and best wishes go to Jack Duffy who is returning to Canada after doing an excellent job for the club in his role as Community Manager. I’m sure whoever replaces him will continue his good work.


CONGRATULATIONS July Prize Draw Winner – Member number 82 – Charles Standidge - £20 Club shop voucher


Appeal If you have any pre-loved items that you would like to go to a new home, please contact us or bring to one of our stalls on a match day. Many thanks as always for your support.


Panthers’ Community Update Return of the H20 Roadshow and Farewell Jack Duffy! It’s been another fun, exciting and memorable month for the Community Panthers! From after school clubs, to active lunchtimes to the return of the H20 Roadshow! So far within the month we have handed water out to almost 1,000 children through the school gates as they answer questions on hydration and learn how impactful being hydrated can be for their day at school! Children received a Halifax Panthers player card from their heroes themselves and also received a water tracker to ensure they can stay up to date with how many cups they drink within the month! Adam Tangata, Louis Jouffret, Lachlan Walmsley and James Saltonstall have all taken part and surprised pupils to a memorable start to their day! Other activities saw the return of Little Panthers Sports club at the little stars children centre, Panthers appearances in summer events at the Outback Garden and St Augustine’s refugee centre and parade appearances at the Elland Parade and the 10k Charity run over at the hospital. Kind Regards, Jack Duffy 07394519091 General Manager – Community Panthers CIC Message regarding Jack from the club: Jack Duffy, the current Community Panthers CIC manager will depart from his services with the club at the end of July due to personal reasons resulting in a move back to Canada where he will continue to pursue a career in sport development. Jack wanted to give a huge thank you to the support that the fans and the Supporters Trust have given to community initiatives and wishes you all the very best for the future. Stay tuned to the club’s website and social media channels for the announcement of his replacement.


Maureen’s Finance Current Balance - £5647

June Newsletter

A message from our Chair - David Durbin

Firstly I would like to say a massive THANK YOU to all our members and supporters who have enabled us to present a cheque for £10k to the Panthers Fund. Without your memberships and generosity this would not have been possible. This money will be used to re-sign key players that Simon wishes to retain for next season. More news on this will be forthcoming in the near future. So it’s down to earth with a bang! Our eight wins on the bounce came to a shuddering halt against Leigh. While we never gave up, we were clearly second best as they proved why they are one of the league’s favourites for promotion. Money certainly talks!! So now it’s onto Whitehaven to kick on again and pick up the wins which will consolidate our position at the top end of the league table. A final reminder now for you to book your place at the John Bentley dinner on Saturday 18th June at the Shay. Jonny Lawless is our compere for what will be an entertaining evening of fun and games with John and his friends. So please contact Carroll on 07977 596051 to book your place. All monies raised will of course be going to the Panthers Fund to continue to strengthen the squad for next season.

CONGRATULATIONS – WELL DONE Monthly Prize Draw Winner – Pat Fosset – Meal for 2 at Ivy House Match Dining Competition – Gary Clifford

Appeal If you have any pre-loved items that you would like to go to a new home, please contact us or bring to one of our stalls on a match day. Many thanks as always for your support.

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Panthers’ Community Update Mascot Creations, Miles and Major news this May! Well it’s been another fantastic month in the Community for Community Panthers CIC! This month we ran an exclusive competition for the 2022 Rugby League World Cup that will take place in October! We visited 6 schools throughout the month allowing over 780 children to take part in the official competition to create the mascot for this years tournament! Some amazing entries have been posted in and the winner will be announced June 24th! Fingers crossed it is someone from our local community! We have also taken part in a fundraising challenge this month and have ran 5 kilometres per day in May to raise funds for Cash4Kids West Yorkshire! The total funds raised within the month we £415.00 which will go towards support packages for disadvantaged children in our area. Finally, there is some breaking news this month and a fantastic opportunity has arisen, we are going to be looking for a new Community Panthers CIC Community Manager! Unfortunately, Jack Duffy will be leaving the Panthers this August due to a family commitment that is taking him back to Canada. Jack said: ‘ I want to send huge thanks to all in and around the Supporters Trust for the support you have shown me and the community activities in my time here! It is with sadness that I make this departure but the club will ensure all the hard work continues off the field to continue with the momentum we have gained in the Community.’

Kind Regards, Jack Duffy 07394 519091 General Manager – Community Panthers CIC

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Halifax Heritage Rugby League Lunch Club NEXT MEETING – June 13th 2022 at HALIFAX BOWLING CLUB, 11.00am with guest Damian Munro Please book you place in advance (with or without meal) Bar opens 11am, with two course lunch for £3.99 Car Parking available on Site Please book you place in advance (with or without meal) To reserve a place ring or e-mail: Chris Mitchell: 07947-827627 or chris-mitchell@live.co.uk

 

May Newsletter

A message from our Chair - David Durbin Coaches come and coaches go but we have seen some changes already so early in the season. Both our neighbour’s the Bulls and Widnes already saying goodbye to theirs and putting out statements to their fans, which rather smacks of panic at this stage! All teams have made numerous changes to their squads and as we know it takes time for them to blend in. Our own Panthers are a good example of this and it shows that sticking with your coach during difficult times can bring its rewards as it is already showing for us this season. Getting behind your team during difficult times is the sign of a true supporter and you shouldn’t need a statement from your club asking you to continue with your support. Talking of support, thanks to everyone who attended our recent race night which was excellent. A massive thank you to Stephen Lambert for hosting this for us. I am hoping your support continues for our next event which is the John Bentley dinner on Friday 18th June at the Shay. The Trust has booked two tables so please contact Carroll on 07977 596051 to book your place if you wish to sit on one of our allocated tables. It promises to be another excellent evening compared by Jonny Lawless, with several past players also coming along to support it.


Appeal After the success of our town centre market stall on Sat 7 May, we are appealing for donations of rugby merchandise including rugby shirts, polo tops, t-shirts, coats, hoodies etc as our stocks are running very low! If you have any pre-loved items that you would like to go to a new home, please contact us or bring to one of our stalls on a match day. Many thanks as always for your support.


Panthers’ Community Update ‘Community Panthers CIC – Let’s talk World cup and keep active!’ It’s been another fantastic month in the community for the Community Panthers CIC! Schools continue to engage in weekly rugby sessions after school and we have welcomed back the term of resilience for Old Earth school in Elland! We continue to interact and bring rugby to around 200 people a week across Calderdale and continue to deliver half term camps to those new to the sport! This month, Community Panthers CIC are taking on the 5k a day in May challenge to raise funds for disadvantaged children across West Yorkshire in partnership with the charity cashforkids! To donate, please visit this link: https://www.cashforkidsgive.co.uk/campaign/cash-for-kids-day-2022-pulseghr-5k-a-day-fundraising/fundraisers/communitypanthers5k/ We are targeting £500 and have currently raised £190 of our target! This term we have also began a new roadshow that will allow children to take part in the Rugby League World Cup Mascot Competition! So far we have engaged with over 220 students who have submitted their entries to become the creator of the official mascot for this year’s tournament! Community Panthers CIC are now across Social Media! Follow our accounts below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communitypantherscic/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommunityPCIC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communitypantherscic/?hl=en Our Women’s Team and Wheelchair Team continue their winning streaks both receiving wins over the weekend and will look forward to a busy Month of May to continue their form! Matchday activities will be back for May 15th as we raise awareness for Mental Health week! We will welcome local mental health workers and charities down to the Shay against Sheffield Eagles to continue the battle towards Mental Health inside and outside of Rugby League! Thanks again for reading and we will see you soon!

Jack Duffy Community Panthers CIC


BANK BALANCE OF 4TH MAY £13,789

April Newsletter

RACE NIGHT FRI 22 APRIL We do hope you can come and join us for our fantastic ‘Race Night’ on Friday 22 April at Siddal RLFC. Tickets are just £5 each including supper and are available on match days from our stalls or via our website: faxtrust.org All money raised is to support the Halifax Panthers.

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Fax Trust proudly presents AN EVENING WITH JOHN BENTLEY and friends at The Shay on the 18 June 2022.

The evening consists of a Two Course Dinner & Coffee, fun and games with our compare Johnny Lawless, a Q&A with the man himself and his friends. This is a great opportunity to listen to one of your favourite players talking about their stories on and off the field. The price for a ticket for this fun event is £25.00 each, you can also purchase a table for 10 people for £250.00 To book a ticket / table please contact Carroll Willis on 07977 596 051. Tables are booked on a first come first serve basis. This event is proudly sponsored by S.J Craven Joiner Contractors

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A message from our Chair - David Durbin “Getting back on the horse” they say is easier said than done but our Panther’s have done that after two excellent wins on the bounce against Workington and Whitehaven. Let’s hope this is a start of a good run to take us up the table and consolidate our position there. While nothing can be taken for granted the style of play we are seeing now is a pleasure to watch and long may it continue. I would at this point like to thank all our supporters who attend our monthly quiz at the Ivy House, and of course Pete McNamara and all his staff for what is a very enjoyable night. It’s good to see new faces and all the monies raised goes to supporting the club. If you haven’t yet given it a try, I can ensure you that a good time is had by all so please feel free to come along. Our next one is on the 27th April starting at 8pm, it’s just £3 to enter which includes a supper. Bargain! Our next fundraiser is the race night at Siddal RLFC on the 22nd of this month which no doubt you have seen advertised. You can get tickets and buy a horse (don’t forget to name it) on our website or from our stalls on match days. A big THANK YOU to Steve Lambert the Club Commercial Director who has agreed to host the evening. We are also hoping to have players in attendance on what again should be a fun evening!

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Panthers’ Community Update ‘ Community Panthers CIC – World Cup Trophy Tour and More in March!’ It has been a fantastic month of March in the Community for the Halifax Panthers! We had the pleasure of showcasing the Rugby League World Cup trophies across Calderdale to a primary school, secondary school and a college throughout the day before the made their way to the Shay Stadium for our Monday night Premier fixture vs Leigh Centurions. This was a fantastic occasion for us all as we spoke in front of over 600 students throughout the day before interacting with our loyal home fans! This also gave our ambassadors from the men’s, women’s and wheelchair team to have a platform to promote their great work in sport throughout the day too. We have also begun new partnerships this school term with Lightcliffe, C.E primary school, Old Earth Primary School, St Malachy’s Primary School, Rastrick High School & continue our ongoing partnerships that supply both on and off field sessions throughout Calderdale at the moment. We are currently engaging with over 175 children per week allowing current and new players to get a taste of rugby league and develop their skills with our coaches. We are also running resilience classes in curriculum time to help pupils to deal with change, stress, emotions and the ability to become more resilient through school. We have also introduced a new programme named Tag Talks to our weekly schedule. This is a combination of mental health and wellness activities alongside Tag rugby games for men aged 17-24. We are aiming to allow students, men in their first job roles, those in university and anyone within this age range to release some stress and get physically active with us throughout our sport and wellness activities with Invictus Wellbeing. Try High Holiday club has now been confirmed for a full year of scheduling for 2022. We will deliver 13 weeks of programming throughout the year for children on free school meals and take rugby league activities alongside wellness, first aid, squash, boxercise, yoga and much much more!  Our next programme will begin on April 11th – 14th at both Warley Road Primary School & Trinity Academy Akroydon.

To register follow this link: https://www.invictuswellbeing.com/tryhigh Thanks again for reading! See you next month. Jack Duffy – Community Panthers CIC.

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Bank balance as of 3rd April £12,922

Article 6

It isn’t always getting the win and the two points that make you come away from a game happy, it's also seeing a full blooded performance with nothing but 100% given. So it was against one of our local rivals Featherstone Rovers. A lucky try got them back into the game which gave them the impetuous to go on and win it. There were more encouraging signs that we can climb the table and with performance’s like we have just seen I have no doubt this is possible. Another fully committed effort will be required when we take on Leigh in our first televised game on Premier Sports on Monday 21st kick off 7:45pm at the Shay. We,the supporters can make a difference, so please come down in your numbers and let’s get behind the team and become the force that get’s them over the line! Your Trust are now in the process of arranging another fund raising stall at Sowerby Bridge market in the next few weeks so please keep an eye on our social media platforms for more details. I hope too that you have in your diaries the date of our race night at Siddal RLFC on the Friday 22nd April start at 8pm and the John Bentley dinner at the Shay on the Saturday 18th June. Both will be opportunities to support our fundraising for the club as well as being fun evenings. Please contact me on faxmad@aol.com if you need any more details about these events. Details are also on our social media platforms. The future is bright it’s Blue and White! David Durbin.Chair Faxtrust.