Giving rugby a try

Heatwave touch rugby for the Drinks Trust

‘Last Thursday there were quite a few of us wondering how a career in wine had led to playing touch rugby at over 35 degrees.

Along with 23 other teams from across the drinks industry, a handful of brave Fells volunteers turned out for Pol Roger’s annual touch rugby tournament in aid of the Drinks Trust.

Dedicated to a ‘taking part that counts’ approach, and keen to give other teams a chance, we opted for a ‘zero training sessions beforehand’ tactic.

(Indeed one of our team may or may not have watched youtube videos on how to play touch rugby the morning of the competition…)

Nonetheless, creditable performances were given, with one win, a hard-fought draw, and what we’re going to optimistically describe as a ‘spirited almost-draw’ across our three matches.

Before we got onto the real business of the post-match champagne drinking, at which our team excelled.

The Drinks Trust

Of course the real point of the day was the industry coming together to support the hugely important work of the Drinks Trust – and a huge thanks once again to Pol Roger for putting it together, and to Battersea Ironsides for hosting.

The Drinks Trust, in their own words, ‘provides financial assistance, emotional support and opportunity for growth to drinks industry people.’

This short description casts an umbrella over a brief far too wide ranging to describe in detail here – but which you can find out far more about on their website.

It’s a cause – obviously – dear to everyone at Fells, and if you’re subscribed to this newsletter we’d imagine it more than likely impacts you, too.

Which is why, like many of our fellow drinks businesses, we’ve been pleased to support The Drinks Trust for several years. Both at communal events like the Pol Roger touch rugby, and with our own initiatives and direct sponsorship.

A Common Cause

This newsletter tends, rightly, to focus on the ‘what’ of the drinks industry. The wines that have brought us, starry-eyed, into the business, which remain our raison d’être and keep us enthralled today.

The Drinks Trust, and events that support it, are a vital prism through which to re-focus on the ‘who’ of our industry.

Any one of us or our colleagues could have found – and could still find – ourselves needing the support that the Trust offers. It is critical work – and therefore equally critical that the Trust be supported in turn.

The Pol Roger Touch Rugby Tournament was an important reminder of that – and that whoever we work for, whatever our role, all of us in the drinks industry are part of the same fundamental and largely co-dependent organism.

We’d say that’s a cause worth playing rugby at 35 degrees for.

Especially when there’s champagne afterwards.