Dawlish, Dawlish, Devon, England, United Kingdom
hello@lockerstashrugby.co.uk pre-loved rugby stash
Lockerstash Ease the UOWE Blues
21/11/20
Lockerstash has struggled to help people through this second lockdown, however using the power of social media we became the all too apparent answer to a significant problem for the university Of the West of England. After Discussions and a call Alex expressed Concern over the safety and certain protocol his players would have to adhere to after lockdown. The issue believe it or not came down to bibs, the clubs budget stretched very thin and with a great proportion of it being raised through fundraisers the current number of Sterile bibs was deemed insufficient to run Rugby safely. In came lockerstash who after buying a sufficient number delivered to alex socially distanced to the services outside of Bristol. Despite not being as rock n’ roll as other projects, it was equally rewarding to hear Alex express his relief and not having to spend his or time or money making sure the 50 training university students were safe to return to play. For that he expressed a great deal of gratitude and on the contrary were more than happy to help the young players play the sport they love.
Meeting the kings of the Jungle at Silverback
21/11/2020
A short drive up the M5 and M4 motorways from Exeter found ourselves in Swindon, the home of up and coming Sportswear brand Silverback Sportswear. After phone conversations over a period of Weeks it was nice to finally the meet the team. Nick warren, Co-owner was extremely accommodating of the team and after giving us a quick tour of the office, Nick was happy to negotiate a very fair price, in order to keep Lockerstash supplies flying high whilst trying to keep our overheads at an all time low during these difficult times.Furthermore, kind gestures are very hard to beat so when Nick offered to provide the Charity with a discount in order to subsidise our leaflets we were very hard pushed not to oblige. Needless to say we hope that Silverback is a producer we can return to in the future and thank them for their fairness and understanding in a difficult time for us all.
Paul and Guy mark a significant “Krusada”
21/11/2020
In the Early Hours of a Pre Lockdown morning Debbie and Guy embarked on yet another trip north, this time to Peterborough. The duo were fuelled by nothing but Rhubarb and Custard sweets and the Kindness of one man. That man Was Paul Cullington, Paul is the Managing Director of Krusada Sportswear, a Well known Midlands sportswear producer. After Chatting with Pauls Employees in the weeks Building up to our supposed trip, Paul did not hesitate to Pick up the phone after some Thought and discuss his own charity connections and his cross sport links with rowing being a very successful indoor athlete. After much discussion and little thought, Paul bestowed a barrage of generosity by donating All his remaining “Dead stock”. On Arrival we realised the Sheer scale of his and Krusada generosity we were extremely taken aback, Leaving us with nothing but a great deal of gratitude to Paul and his team. The balls Donated will be Heading out in Gift bags This Christmas to less fortunate Children from lower socio economic and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Sportswear Company Helping Us Get out the RED
21/11/2020
A few weeks have a past and a shed load of work have prevented us from updating followers of the website and social media pages about this incredible story. Several weeks ago prior to the nations second lockdown Lockerstash Headed to London To meet up with the Great and friendly team at RED Sportswear. The team there made us comfortable from the get go and After a Brief Conversation saw us walking away with an extremely Generous Donation of Stock for resale and to help with other projects. However this was not all, the team then produced an inflatable gazebo, an item which had been on Lockerstash’s wish list for a while keeping us sheltered from the elements at pop up shops. Their kindness and generosity was beyond our wildest dreams and would like to whole heartedly thank them for the work that they have done for us and wish the partnership to follow into the future.
Dragons fire up Positive partnership
pictured (left) Gareth Sullivan Newport Gwent Dragons Community inclusion Offficer with Lockerstash's Debbie Hutchinson and Guy Hamer
Lockerstash are pleased to announce a community inclusion partnership stretching from October 2020 on wards with no end in sight. After 12 months of communication, a good deal of travelling and the small issue of a global pandemic, the lockerstash team were finally happy to see things heat up With the Dragons.
The initial conversation, started in October of 2019, saw Lockerstash tasked with Supporting Homeless Rugby C.I.C , a pre existing LSR partner, help fund a project Run in conjunction with the dragons for their homeless Provision. This saw us provide an initial bundle of Lockerstash t shirts and older stock from Lockerstash’s warehouse to the homeless of Gwent, ensuring they were able to train and play with no barriers. Since then, we’ve been able to provide the homeless side with kit to the sum in excess of five thousand pound for a homeless Rugby six nations style tournament, this would have also covered the running costs of the festival at Rodney Parade as well as bespoke kit for all players involved. Despite Covid-19 this plans to be rearranged and played in the June of 2021, including a potential testimonial game with international stars. Dragons also presented us with the Great opportunity to Sponsor the signwriting of Gareth’s Community inclusion vehicle allowing his pool van to be customized to the departments specifications and support the running of the vehicle. In exchange, Lockerstash very kindly receive old kit from the Dragons from years gone by which features on our website and helps us with our running of the organisation and allows us to support our projects and further extend the hand to the dragons and their work in South Wales.
When asked, Gareth Sullivan had this to say; “ Having an organisation Like Lockerstash onboard with the Dragons is a big win for us because the people and players involved with the dragons are very conscious of our greater rugby community in south wales and the grassroots game and to have discovered a charitable business actively promoting and creating a no barriers environment for the next generation of Dragons players and fans in the Gwent valley is incredible for us. By having them here it means we have the ability to put the cherry on the cake of our projects and relieves pressure on our budgets allowing us as a community department to make the little things in our projects be brought to life with that external backing.
Lockerstash and the Dragons are delighted with this partnership and hope as time moves on the partnership grows in what is a historic move in Lockerstash’s young history.
Band backs a lucky lockerstash
FEatured Above - Aroha,DEbbie And Guy with ABBA tribute starlet Rhiannon Tree
Lockerstash does not tend to be inundated with financial backers, however after a mutual connection a South west based abba group were left taking a chance on us. The group successfully tours the country performing an uncanny Abba tribute, however since Lockdown artists such as the Blue lion Band have been left with no work and frightfully short of income. However, thanks to technology and some Ingenious initiative from the Blue Lion Band lead Vocalist and manager Rhiannon Tree, the band were united once more to do what they do best, perform. Using Facebook livestream, the band were able to successfully perform to all of their fans live from the Bridgewater theatre free of charge. Despite this, the band were overwhelmed with the support they received from their fans with over a thousand of their fans tuning in and a group very kindly donating, ultimately reflecting the feeling of love and admiration for the band. If the bands triumph could not get any greater, after covering their overheads, the band set about donating to local charitable causes to support others struggling during the lockdown.
This is where Lockerstash ended up being the truly grateful recipients of a cash donation to support its ongoing projects.
Rhiannon Tree Said this when asked about why she made the donation. “With a heavy heart I have to say I was never the biggest fan of sport growing up, however it is plain to see after spending just a short time with Debbie and Guy their passion for the work they do to support disadvantaged players and clubs in infectious and it was also clear to see we share a mutual love of charity and supporting others less fortunate. I myself see the effects off this lockdown on the spirits of people on the wards when I present my hospital radio show and I can only empathize as it is clear to see the similarity between us as performers and the sporting community, we have had our platform to express and enjoy ourselves taken away from us, the only difference we take to the stage as you guys do to the sports field and we feel that pain. Despite us knowing this is just a drop in a significant ocean from both art and sport to make a comeback, we just hope this may go a little way to making a difference to the safety and well being of our sporting comrades whilst we wait”.
The kindness Shown By the Blue lion band towards Lockerstash has not gone unnoticed and as a pair hope to collaborate on future projects and support them during the release of their debut album which no doubt we will have Lockerfans listening to from wherever they are in the world.
Pictured Above - Guy And Martin
Stash Straight to the streets
Last week, as Wales started to emerge from its Lockdown Protocols, we thought it a great time to head down to Monmouth and meet up with Martin warren. Martin is the Welsh Managing director of Homeless Rugby C.I.C. Homeless Rugby, co-ordinate with top tier teams throughout the country such as Glasgow warriors, Edinburgh, Worcester warriors and Newport Gwent Dragons providing their homeless community with coaching and access to facilities of the respective clubs. Our Partnership Involves Donating kit and equipment to Martin to distribute to throughout the Partnered clubs and their Homeless Rugby playing communities. On this occasion, pictured above, Martin and Guy pass over 3 thousand pounds worth of Bespoke Playing kit to Martin. This kit was supposed to be used by The international Homeless Rugby Tournament, hosted by Newport Gwent Dragons in July of this year, unfortunately due to corona Virus Outbreak this made this Physically impossible, Despite this the kit is ready for each respective team to use in the rescheduled tournament for the following July. On top of this Two Large Clothing sacks were donated to Martin, containing everything from high end Adidas boots to contact tops to shorts and socks, once more trying to make the sport more accessible and enjoyable for the homeless community. This partnership will no doubt be continuing into the future but will always need the help of you, the rugby playing public to allow great things like this to keep happening.
if You want to find out more about the work of Homeless Rugby please click the link below.
devon provides seventh Heaven for Lockerstash
After Lockdown woes were put behind us , the lockerstash Team were filled with nothing but joy to finalize partnerships which had been tirelessly worked upon for months prior, the first of which was this great deal for us a southwest based C.I.C. Pictured above, Guy and Trev , Trev is a Stalwart heavily involved within the Running of The County outfit within Devon. The deal in question has seen Lockerstash take a large collection of Devon's match kits from years gone by in exchange for a cash fee to help fund any future outgoings Devon may need to cover. When speaking to Ambassador and Devon developing player programme manager Glenn Channing said " this is a very exciting step for me , making the Devon team exciting, current and a desirable jersey to want to fight for which has been my ambition for the past few years. So by getting Lockerstash on board an organisation there to benefit and nurture young up and coming players , there is n doubt it can be nothing but a positive thing". Further exciting conversations are taking place in order to strengthen our connection and benefit the Devon youth side further, so stay tuned for updates and more exciting reveals.
SGS Say a big yes to new LSR Kit
The ambition at Lockerstash for the team was also to be able to provide a subsidized Range of on and off field kit for all levels of the rugby pyramid to enjoy. A challenge for a small start up C.I.C is one that no one within the team took likely . With months of painstaking research and product development, it was inevitable to lose motivation and run out of inspiration. However, this was soon to become for from an option as Lockerstash Ambassador and Gloucester Hartbury player Maia Boucher White soon gave us the kick we needed. This was after her friends from SGS College Bristol got in touch needing kit for their much anticipated Tour to the United States, taking a core squad of 16 players to have a trip of a lifetime needed some memorable stash too. Despite the heartwrenching news that their trip had been postponed due to the corona virus outbreak, the kit managed to arrive with great results , with the girls being elated with their kit and everyone at Lockerstash sharing this feeling having completed our first ever steps into the kit producing world. We look forward to working with more clubs and hopefully supporting the girls in making it to New York next year. Next up for LSR sports is Shoreham Rugby based in South east england followed by East Devon Hockey Club and numerous Stash nights all over the UK. The team are looking forward immensely to the challenge and are hoping more teams come on board With LSR sports.
Cracking competition in Cornwall
The matavesi and Morgan clan host friendly competition
On a scorching hot May Day in the depths of the uk quarantine, boredom was nowhere to be found at the Newquay sports park. After making some pick ups around the darkest depths of kernow Country , the lockerstash team headed to the home of Newquay Hornets RFC to find ambassadors Josh Matavesi, Ian Morgan and Ethan Morgan deeply focused in an intense fitness session. This was the first time that Rugby union had brought more than one Lockerstash Ambassador to the same place in one afternoon in over 3 months. despite no bro hugs or handshakes due to social distancing guidelines, it was still a great spectacle to behold. however, After a grueling fitness session , the smiles soon turned to grimaces and stern looks as they were enveloped in their respective kicking routines as the Lockerstash kicking competition commenced. Over 5 rounds over left and right sides the three athletes battled it out to convert the most goals. It was apparent early doors that there was no need to teach the old dog a brand new trick as cornwall veteran and RAF backs coach Ian Morgan came very close from 40 metres out to the left , showing exquisite technique. Up next, was Son and heir Ethan, who's kicking showed everyone there why he had been capped for Wales under 18's level as his kicking was simply exquisite. It was a close knit competition with EX fiji and now Bath centre/flyhalf Josh Matavesi taking the win very in a very close knit affair and also a very proud day to see not just our ambassadors ,but the future of the game looking to be in very safe hands.
new recruits join the ambassador army
Published 26TH MAY 2020
With the full force of Lockdown weighing heavy on everyone in the UK, the locker stash team felt this was an essential time to raise the profile of up and coming talented athletes, as well as develop support from Veterans of the game with the kindest of hearts. This meant the team at HQ had to spring into action developing a campaign to grip the hearts and minds of the UK's contemporary rugby world. The campaign went live on the 14th of May with astounding results, with over 75 players from the UK and overseas getting in touch to show their desire to support and be supported by the up and coming brand. After an intensive interview process, conducting over 50 interviews in a week period , Lockerstash saw an unprecedented amount of young and older players with a passion for locker stash and its values which it had never been seen before. This saw players working hard to liase with their respective grassroots, university and all the way up to their premiership clubs. The most notable signing came in the form 2x World Cup winning All Black Ben Franks, who was no more than happy to support the cause. The crop of youth passionate about giving back also astounded everyone working with the locker stash brand. This ultimately shows the team the bright future they have in terms of the positive impact they can have on the sport and its followers. A sample of the new crop are listed below, which include university, college, academy and international players as well as one very kind individual. That individual is James Fitchew. James is a photographer for the Northampton and also works with Rugby social media page Fab Rugby. James after being contacted by the team very kindly offered his graphic design services free of charge, meaning ambassadors have fabulous, eye catching graphic to promote their announcement. We are indebted for this and we thoroughly encourage you to visit his Instagram @jamesfitchewphotography. If you are eager to find out about some of our new crop head over to our ambassador section or alternatively view the group below.
Navy Stash Event Goes Swimmingly
Lockerstash team member Guy pictured with Ambassador and Navy player Gareth John Rees
In the chaotic times we are currently facing, it is easier for us to forget to share the work Lockerstash were doing merely months ago. Casting ourselves back to March and the beginning of lockdown, Lockerstash saw itself contact branches of the armed forces, more specifically the Navy and RAF, to enquire about the possibility of them affiliating themselves with the Lockerstash cause as well as helping to supply us with all important stock.These events were kindly organised in liaison with Royal Navy scrum half Gareth John Rees and Royal Air Force Backs coach Ian Morgan, who for us were vital in securing permission to enter both MOD sites. However, the threat of Covid-19 meant the imminent closure of the majority of military bases run by the Ministry Of Defence. Consequently, this meant our meeting with the RAF was cancelled, leaving a distraught Locker stash wondering if the Proverbal ship had sailed with the Navy also. Despite this on the 17th of March a day before base closure Lockerstash managed to get exclusive access to Portsmouth Naval base and after a 3 hour drive from the base in the South west, Lockerstash found themselves signing into a military compound. Once inside the team were greeted by 25 stash hungry sailors who were keen to get their hands on some Lockerstash kit.The group listened intently throughout the 5 minute presentation about the work of Lockerstash and were ecstatic to get some off field wear ready for a spell of civilian life throughout the Lockdown period.
JOss bosses boredom buster
WRITTEN 13TH MAY 2020
The month of April was hard for all Sports fans, not just Rugby players, with all the amateur rugby unions postponing fixtures until further notice, this left the players of the grassroots game dwindling their thumbs. Matters were not helped in anyway by cancellation of all major professional sporting competitions such as the Six Nations, domestic rugby competitions including the Gallagher Premiership, Guinness Pro 14 and super rugby. This on top of no relief coming for rugby fans, dare I say it from Football as the Premier league was suspended too. Leaving sports fans with no escape from their partners or parents to whom they would now be confined to watching endless Netflix , horrendous TIK TOK dances and the possibility of eating nothing but their own weight in horrendously constructed Banana bread. As a consequence, it was all go at Lockerstash HQ to construct a challenge for our loyal followers to get their teeth stuck into . So with help from our ambassadors, the tea cup conversion was born. The Aim, simply to launch a tea bag into a mug/tea cup with as much finesse and style as physically possible and then the challenge of nominating three friends to help spread the challenge virally. We were happy to see over 75 locker stash followers attempt the challenge, using everything from Hockeysticks in hallways to k9's in kitchens, making it a thoroughly enjoyable challenge to track. However, two notable individuals followed up behind our winner, the first being Elliott Adams. The 19 year old future county cricket prospect, currently studying at Loughborough executed a beautiful conversion using his lovely short handled cricket bat slotting a great 3 points. This was followed up by a beautiful second place effort from Burnham on sea Rugby club veteran Tim piper who slotted a beautiful conversion, hitting the bag on a fence ledge from 10 yards sending the bag toppling into the cup and dragging himself into that spot. However, only one individual could take home the spoils, winning the top prize of a Lockerstash hoodie, Bucket hat and Stash smuggler. This was 17 year old Joss Pascoe, the Truro College student, not long an ambassador impressed with class and finesse to execute a chip shot using a 6 iron, sending the bag aerial and eventually ending up in the mug. It has been almost 6 weeks and due to his valiant effort it felt right to award such a prize in person, whilst social distancing of course. So last Sunday, Guy , from the locker stash team headed to his home in Truro to surprise our shocked winner, on receiving his goodies he said "if that was the best I'd have like to have seen the worst". Regardless of his whit, he talked of his enthusiasm to help locker stash grow when we all finally see the back of these unprecedented times, whilst also talking of his aspirations to battle and win a place in the prestigious Lockerstash invitational side. It was a great encounter and showed the team another great example of why we work in grassroots Rugby and the great examples the next generation of grassroots players are setting on and off the field.
Agreed to the squeeze
3rd March 2020
At Lockerstash our small, tight knit team has always had one real issue, that is space. Since 2019 we have found ourselves unexpectedly growing in success. In panic Lockerstash found itself pleading to convert our wonderful staff members bedrooms or double garages into any sort of functional storage space where we could store our precious stash. In order to give our wonderful supporters an idea of the vast scale, this kit over a period of 12 months had gone from a few outgrown international rugby shirts to a collection amassing over 10,000 items of rugby attire, containing anything from headguards to hoodies. This meant we only had one clear option which was to seek to an alternative to the bedrooms and car boots, as the once organised chaos which was slowly descending into much more of the latter. This luckily lead to a breakthrough lead with Ease the Squeeze Ltd. Founded in 2019 (and sister company to Bishops Move), the company has seven outlets across the United Kingdom, these include Portsmouth, Guildford, Edinburgh, Oxford, Crawley, Brighton and our site of choice In lovely Exeter. After consultation with their small team, they invited us to have a tour of the facilities an experience the staff unanimously enjoyed. After tirelessly working to find something to cater for our needs, John and his team then set about ensuring that a fee was negotiated that would be appropriate for us. After lengthy discussion about Locker Stash and its charitable status, John was delighted to be able to offer the facility for a fraction of the price, allowing us to ensure budgets were not worried and space was maximised. This consequently, has meant that intake and processing of stock has become more efficient , meaning simply we can reach out and help more of the grassroots rugby community which needs us in the battle against whatever adversity. This wouldn't have been possible without the care and hospitality shown to us by this great local business, therefore the Lockerstash team would like to extend their thanks to John and his team at Ease The Squeeze and would like to highly recommend their services to anyone looking for convenient storage solutions, as they are fast, friendly and competitively priced.
26th January 2020
Giving back
A fantastic lunch hosted @cornishpirates, taking @childrenhospicesw family to their first rugby game
Enjoyed by all
Group Shot!!
After a great game, Locker Stash Ambassadors took time before hitting the showers for a group shot.
Thanks to @scobesjnr, @sammatavesi, @kylemoyle93 and @danfrost7
Children's Hospice South West - Little Harbour
Childrens Hospice SW, Little Harbour, St Austell - Jan 2020
The trip to the Children’s Hospice Southwest had been highly anticipated by the Locker Stash team ever since the tour had been agreed all the way back in the October of 2019.
We felt as a smallish group currently having agreed to provide Rugby experience days for the families of terminally ill children at Children’s Hospice SW, Little Harbour in St Austell it was essential that we had an insight into the workings of the Hospice, However harrowing we were perceiving the experience to be. This angst was reflected throughout the journey with conversation always coming back to how we would find the mood to be at Little Harbour and as it is one of Locker Stash’s first headline partnerships, we wanted to know we had made the correct decisio
However, it didn’t take long after arrival to discover to our amazement the joy provided by this Hospice. Our co-ordinator Alice Merrett took very little time in showing us around the Hospice with the same pride you would with your own home, showing us the state of the art facilities on offer for the users of Little Harbour, such as the sensory room, games room and hydrotherapy pool, demonstrating to us how mutually beneficial physical activity and well-being is for both Charities.
As the tour progressed, Alice, like many people in Cornwall expressed her husband’s passion for Rugby and how she felt it was amazing opportunity for us to work together to provide another experience to shape the memories of the children attending Little Harbour. Alice also showed us how the hospice was a real family affair, offering accommodation and activities for all the family, which we all agreed we wouldn’t have minded staying in, creating the image of a picturesque Cornish B&B than a hospice.
As the team at Locker Stash left Little harbour all coming to the same conclusion that we must do more to support the work of this wonderful charity who provide so much joy and love in a time that would otherwise be dark and harrowing for families , we agreed now would be a great time to announce that in 2020 Children’s Hospice would be the chosen Charity for our Rugby Sevens team the Lockerlads, Appearing in Amsterdam, Norwich, Newquay and other potential dates across the UK.
This partnership starts with our first experience day at the Cornish Pirates on the 26th of January so, if you see us rugby fans don’t forget to say Hi and please continue your support by purchasing and spreading the word of Locker Stash to your friends and family as a little act in the Rugby community can go a long way.Give customers a reason to do business with you.