BIRMINGHAM and Solihull Bees RFC hosted a charity rugby match on their President’s Day in support of the Matt Gallagher Foundation.
Club president Rona Higgins decided to reach out and support the foundation with a lunch, auction, raffle and match and raised £5,200.
Matt used to play for the club and was diagnosed with Motor neurone disease (MND) in October 2023.
He and his family set up the Matt Gallagher Foundation to help support others and raise awareness of MND.
Higgins reached out to former and current players to arrange a match between the Bees and Guanos RFC while also celebrating 20 years since Solihull famously beat Wasps.
Guanos RFC formed in 1981 and play free-flowing festival rugby in charity and celebratory matches.
And Guanos featured a number of talented stars including former players from Scotland, Ulster, Moseley, Stourbridge, Worcester, Northampton and England and Wales youth players.
Damien Webb kindly gave up his time to referee the match as the Bees raced into a 24-0 lead at the half-hour mark with current and former players crossing for tries.
However, Guanos staged a superb comeback as former Worcester and Scotland players Alex Grove and Chris Pennell both touched down to cut the deficit to three points at the break.
Some players featured for both teams on the day including Dave Knight and Matt’s son Jack.
A thrilling second half saw the game finish 48-42 in favour of the Bees.
Following the post-match raffle and auction, the club raised a total of £5,200 for the Matt Gallagher Foundation while also raising awareness of MND.
