'Rubbish Run' hits Bridgend

The Ospreys 'Rubbish Run' continued this morning, when players and coaches hit the streets of Bridgend for the early morning domestic waste collection.

After the likes of Jerry Collins and Shane Williams, led by Head Coach Sean Holley, made a huge impact in Baglan early on Monday, today it was the turn of Jonathan Humphreys to lead a team of players including Welsh internationals Mike Phillips, Lee Byrne, Sonny Parker, Barry Davies and Andrew Bishop, as well as  Scott Baldwin, Ryan Bevington, Ross Davies, Rhys Webb, Gareth Owen, Tom Isaacs and Tom Prydie.

The group joined a crew from Bridgend Council’s refuse collection department for the early morning start.

Speaking about the ‘Rubbish Run’, Mike Phillips said:

“It’s been a very early start today but it’s a good experience for the group that helps you to appreciate the importance of good team-work to get a job done, and also, the hard work that these guys do day-in, day-out. We really appreciate what the Council does for us all in Ospreylia and we wanted to give them something back. The work that they do to make sure we’ve all got a good environment to live in is important stuff so it’s the great to be able to lend a hand. We’ve all got stuck right in and enjoyed getting our hands dirty – and I think that we’ve passed our test and would be welcomed back again.”

The ‘Rubbish Run’ form part of a wider programme of community initiatives from the Ospreys, that will, for example, see 1,000 children participating in coaching clinics during the summer holidays, and follows on from a fundraising partnership with Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice earlier this summer.

Lee Byrne added:

“It’s been a bit of fun for the lads, but there’s a serious side to the week. It’s good for us as a group to experience something like this and to appreciate the team-building side of it, and more importantly, to be able to get out into the community and help out, meeting people from around the region and helping to improve their environment in some way. We are all local guys out there today and we are proud to represent the region, and hopefully, the people of the region will support us for the coming season.”

The ‘Rubbish Run’s are taking place each day this week right across the region with Townhill in Swansea next up for the squad on Wednesday morning, Mumbles on Thursday and Neath on Friday.