The Ospreys hosted a special Easter breakfast for more than eighty people on Good Friday, to mark the end of their season-long relationship with Welsh charity The Joshua Foundation.
The partnership with the Foundation, the chosen charity of the Ospreys for 2010/11, has seen both organisations combining to provide experiences for children with terminal cancer and their families.
The breakfast was hosted at the Llandarcy Academy of Sport, where the players met with in excess of 40 children, plus members of their family, to enjoy the most important meal of the day and chat with the special guests. In addition to the players, there was a special visit from the Easter Bunny, who handed out eggs to the children, while Hayley McCutcheon of Funtastic Parties was also present to keep everybody entertained.
The Joshua Foundation was created in September 1998 to provide holidays and experiences for children and their families where the child is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Founded by Sarah Cornelius-Price after her son Joshua Cornelius, who died from a rare stomach cancer aged seven, the Joshua Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary on 4th December 2008 and in the years since the charity was founded it has raised more than £5million for kids with cancer.
The breakfast was funded by the Ospreys players and rugby management, who all contributed financially towards the costs of the event, which included bringing Llandarcy staff in on the Bank Holiday.
Ospreys captain Alun Wyn Jones said it had been a great morning for all concerned:
“It was fantastic, and very humbling for everybody at the Ospreys” he commented.
“To meet these children and their families, who are so brave in the way they face up to their problems, really brings home to everyone how fortunate they are. The work done by the Joshua Foundation is inspirational, providing wonderful experiences for terminally ill children and their families, and we are just happy to be able to help in some way, and to give our guests a day to remember.”
At the end of the breakfast, the Ospreys handed over a cheque for £4,700 to The Joshua Foundation, cash raised from the sale of a limited edition third jersey launched earlier this season, which featured the charity’s logo, while a set of the playing jerseys were presented, allowing further funds to be raised via auction. In addition, there will also be a bucket collection in aid of The Joshua Foundation at Saturday’s game, prior to kick-off and at half-time.