There’s a very special football game at St Benedict’s rugby union club on Sunday featuring the Mirehouse Tubbies.
The relatively new club are raising funds for CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) in memory of Tuqiri Blackwell.
Tuqiri, of Mirehouse, died suddenly last year aged 18. A talented singer, she was a student at Lakes College and was hoping to go to university to study nursing.
Mike Mather is the assistant coach, as well as a player with the Tubbies and is a close friend of the Blackwell family and wanted to do something in Tiqiri’s memory which would boost funds for CRY.
The game has been arranged against Morrison’s and will have a 2pm kick-off at St Benedict’s.
Mirehouse Tubbies Football Club (Tubby FC) was founded in June 2021 following an original idea from Niah Vaughan.
It was to form a football team for a group of men who are either of a certain BMI and/or are suffering with mental health issues.
The idea was presented to the estate’s local councillor Carl Walmsley and the Tubby FC story began.
A post was subsequently added to a local Facebook Group for the Mirehouse estate to gauge any interest.
The search was for a squad of about 15 overweight gentlemen and/or suffering with mental health issues, preferably to have played football in the past but not essential.
The aim was to train, diet, bond together over six weeks and play a few of the local teams. The slogan was to be larger than life gentleman playing the game we love.
Mike said: “After the initial six-week period we could then see how we progressed in getting fitter – healthier whilst making new friends at the same time. From this post there were 107 comments made from interested people.
“From there we set about engaging various parties to get the project off the ground from Active Cumbria, Well Whitehaven, The Cumberland FA and Heaton`s Heating Services and St Benedict`s RUFC with all of them extremely excited about the plans put forward.”
Thirty lads turned up at the St Benedict`s RUFC artificial pitch for the first get together and kick-about.
In a few short months they had upwards of 50 enrolled in the club, looking towards bettering themselves both physically and mentally.
Since then the club has brought in Kevin Young as head coach which has given team structure on and off the pitch.
Off the field the football initiative has spiralled into other projects with a running club, Whitehaven park run, weight loss programmes, plus other projects within the Mirehouse Community.
Ian Fleming, the club’s media officer, said: “We have secured ourselves sponsorship from local businesses along with an excellent affiliation with St Benedict`s RUFC who are showing their continued support with the project.
“Without them the project may not have got off the ground. They are providing us the use of their grass pitch and the facility for training sessions as well as the club facilities
“TubbyFC are beginning to build a reputable name for ourselves in our own and surrounding communities which is something we take pride in.
“Within a very short space of time the club has achieved a lot and will continue to grow to allow us to support as many people as possible.
“Whatever challenges we face as a club or individuals, whatever battles any one person has, within the group we stand by one another. If one Tubby falls every Tubby picks him up.”
The club has the backing of numerous sponsors for Sunday’s fund-raising game – Myrus, MS Flooring Whitehaven, Cumberland Electrical, The little house of graze, KB Designs, Xtreme Fitness, Elite MOT Centre Cumbria LTD, CTJ Recovery LTD, GM Plastering and Building Contractor, DS Housekeeping Services and St Benedict’s RUFC.
