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The sky's the
limit for Rhys
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WIDENES Vikings' player
retention policy continues to gather momentum and the club are now
pleased to announce that Rhys Hanbury has become the latest player
to sign an extended contract.
The 27 year old has put pen to paper on a deal that will see him
pulling on Vikings colours until the end of the 2016 season.
Wollongong-born Rhys played his junior rugby with Illawarra Wests
before beginning his senior career with South Sydney Rabbitohs,
making his debut aged 18 in 2004, before moving on to Wests Tigers
in 2008.
Equally at home at full back or half back, Rhys had made 21 NRL
appearances before linking up with the Crusaders in 2010 where he
was joint top try scorer in his 1st season.
Since his arrival at the Vikings ahead of the 2012 Super League
campaign, Hanbury has been a consistent and often inspirational
performer, and the man himself says he is delighted to commit his
long-term future to the team, commenting:- "It's good to get
my future settled. It was an easy decision to stay at the club and
in the Super League competition, but returning home was definitely
another big option for me and my partner. When I first arrived in
this country, the original plan was to just give it a go for a
couple of seasons at most, but we've been over here for four years
now, which is a long time to be away from our family and friends.
Having said that; we're still enjoying ourselves and we're confident
that we've made the right choice."
Following Widnes' return to the top flight in 2012, Rhys has been a
dominant force and a huge attacking threat in a team that has had to
find its feet quickly and hit the ground running amongst the game's
elite. It's an evolution that Hanbury is thrilled to be a part of,
as he explains:- "The building work that has been done at the
club is there for all to see and even though we're only half-way
through the current season, we've already proven ourselves as a much
stronger team than last year. Individually, before I picked up the
hamstring injury, I reckon that I was probably playing some of the
best footy of my life. Obviously I'm keen to build on that and not
go backwards. The fans at Widnes have been great with me from day
one. As a team, we go out there each week to get them the wins they
deserve, and as we continue to grow, hopefully our crowds will do
the same."
Sponsored by Red Elec for the 2013 Super League season, back in
April, Hanbury was named in Brian McClennan's initial 27 -man Exiles
squad for their forthcoming game versus England at the Halliwell
Jones Stadium in mid-June. It's a clash that Rhys is determined to
be a part of:- "The thought of pulling on an Exiles shirt and
featuring in that game is something that really excites me. Brett
Hodgson is a great player and a brilliant choice as captain, and
he's pretty much nailed-on for the full back role. But, hopefully I
can push myself into the team somewhere and my versatility may have
a part to play in that."
Delighted to have retained the services of the highly sought after
Australian playmaker, Vikings Head Coach Denis Betts, added:-
"Rhys has really come on this year and is enjoying his rugby. Before
he got injured he was definitely one of the form players in Super
League. Positionally, he looks completely at home in the full back
position and his pace, strength and bravery put him into some strong
positions on the field, which he's then able to exploit. We always
knew in our mind that we wanted to keep Rhys, and it's great news
that we've agreed terms and secured him for the next three years.
There's quite a few of the lads at Widnes, who believe that
representative rugby league is well within their reach, so being
selected for The Exiles squad is obviously great news for Rhys. As a
club it's also another step on the ladder for us, and it's good to
see that our team is being spotted and one of our key performers has
been recognised in this way. We're not trying to make any statements
with our signings, it's more a case that Rhys is here, he wants to
be here and we want him to stay here. Being out of contract at the
end of the current season, we know that he could've chosen a number
of clubs to go to. Ultimately, the decision was down to him and he
chose to remain at Widnes, and we're really pleased that he will be
contributing massively towards the future of this club."
In his Vikings career thus far, Rhys has made 36 appearances, scored
22 tries, added 34 goals and 1 field goal for a personal haul of 157
points.
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Rhys is pictured above modelling one of the new 2013
Maltacourt lightweight hoodies, which will soon be available in the
Vikings Superstore (within Tesco Extra), in a choice of purple /
white or purple / black. RRP £44.99.
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Merseytravel's
new Chief Executive takes the helm
MERSEYTRAVEL'S new Chief
Executive/Director General has now taken charge of the organisation
responsible for transport throughout the City region, with a pledge
to focus on efficiency, openness and transparency.
David Brown, 47, who was previously head of the South Yorkshire
Passenger Transport Executive, said he wants to build on the recent
work focusing on transparency and on activities that add value.
"I am excited by this new challenge and committed to further
developing the initiatives led by the Chair, as well as
strengthening Merseytravel's commitment to working closely in
partnership with the Districts and other partners to support the
continued economic development of Merseyside." said Mr
Brown.
Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of Merseytravel, said:- "I am
looking forward to working closely with David, who is undoubtedly
the best person to lead integrated transport in the City region into
the future."
Mr Brown has been involved in the adoption by the Department for
Transport of major rail projects such as a High Speed Rail station
in South Yorkshire, and commitment to electrification of the Midland
Main Line and to £230m investment in improving journey times on the
East Coast Main Line.
He has also led the largest Bus Partnership in the UK, and is Chair
of the Passenger Transport Executive Group, which promotes the
interests of the 6 Passenger Transport Executives.
He added:- "My overall priority is simply to ensure that Merseytravel is focused on delivering the best possible integrated
transport system for Merseyside and the people who live work and
visit here. I am looking forward to meeting stakeholders throughout
the City region in the next few weeks."
Women's Aid
welcomes new research which backs compulsory sex and relationships
education for all children
WOMEN'S Aid supports calls
for comprehensive sex and relationships education to be made a
compulsory part of the curriculum for boys and girls, and welcomes
research that has been released by EVAW showing the majority of
parents support such education. The report reveals that, although
some good work is being done to educate young people on issues such
as domestic violence, it is minimal, under-resourced, and not
properly supported by government.
Based on work with 160,000 women and girls every year, Women's Aid
believes specialist-led education on the social aspects of sex and
relationships, including consent, abuse, and what healthy
relationships look like is vital to young people's development.
Without such education to challenge myths about abuse and damaging
understandings of masculinity and femininity, girls and women will
continue to face domestic and sexual abuse across the UK.
Polly Neate, Women's Aid Chief Executive said:- "With the
public attention focused on the abuse of young people like never
before, it is vital we act now to ensure all our children are
equipped with the tools they need to negotiate safe, healthy,
supportive relationships. We urge the government to commit to
support comprehensive sex and relationships education for boys and
girls to stem the tide of sexual abuse and domestic violence."
Liverpool school is in the running
for National Award
A Liverpool school has
found out on 24 May 2013, with a letter from Nick Clegg that is the
regional winner of the 2013 Pupil Premium Awards in the primary
school category. St John's Catholic Primary School, Liverpool, has
received the letter about the award that now means the school will
now be invited to attend a reception hosted by the Deputy Prime
Minister in London when the national winner will be announced. You
can see the letter by clicking on
here. As you can see via
that file, the letter was sent from the Deputy Prime Minister, to St
John's Catholic Primary School, informing them of them that they had
won and congratulating them on their success. The Pupil
Premium was announced in 2010 by the Deputy Prime Minister, is
additional funding for schools to help children eligible for free
school meals in reaching their potential and help schools reduce
educational inequalities. It's up to schools to decide how best to
use this money, with almost £500 allocated per pupil. Evidence shows
children from low income families generally do not achieve as well
as pupils from more advantaged backgrounds. The Pupil Premium Awards
recognise the schools that are doing the best in using the Pupil
Premium to make a real difference to the attainment of disadvantaged
pupils. For more information on the Awards visit:-
pupilpremiumawards.co.uk. For
more information on the Pupil Premium visit:-
education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/premium. |
