How the power of rugby inspired team THE TEAM CHANGING
UN condemns Burma
THE UN General Assembly has approved a resolution condemning human rights abuses against Burma’s Rohingya Muslims.
The resolution also calls on Burma’s government to take urgent measures to combat incitement of hatred against the Rohingya and other minorities.
Buddhist-majority Burma – also known as Myanmar – has long considered the Rohingya to be Bengalis from Bangladesh, even though their families have lived in the country for generations. Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless, and they are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights.
I
T WAS at his lowest point, that Ryan Bath turned to what he knew best.
Ryan had played rugby all his life, turning out for a number of teams across the Swansea region.
But circumstances in his personal life meant earlier this year he sought the services of professionals at Cefn Coed.
Like so many before him, the mental health facility helped the father-of-two get back on his feet.
But it also provided inspiration – that rugby could be used to support those who also found themselves in a dark place.
Ryan, an educational support officer at Gower College Swansea, said: “I was at my lowest point. It meant I had to go to Cefn Coed. It was difficult to even say that I’d been there initially.
“But if you break your leg, you go to hospital to get it fixed. And if you have mental health issues, then you go somewhere like Cefn Coed.
“You shouldn’t feel you have to whisper it. My time there made me realise it is okay to talk.
“I was there during the World Cup, and there was some rugby on the television in the communal area. Before it came on, noone was talking, but when the rugby started everyone began talking about the game.
“There was a guy there and I asked if he’d ever played rugby, and he said he’d never passed a ball.
“So we started doing something little, just passing a ball between us, setting ourselves a target, aiming to do 50 passes.
“And that’s when I realised the power of rugby, and the power of talking. I thought it was the best anti-depressant.
“I spoke to a friend and he said it would be good to do something with rugby to get people talking. So it’s not just about opening up, but doing some physical activity as well.
“I’ve played for many sides in Swansea – Swansea Uplands, Penclawdd, the Gladiators, and most recently I’ve been involved with Fall Bay.
“They’ve got great facilities down there, so I thought it would be good to start up some rugby down there.
“We started with a little bit of touch rugby, and some rugby drills and games.
“We want to get people active, which is always good for your mental wellbeing.
“But we also want to create an environment where people will talk about what is on their minds, what is bothering them.
“It is about ending the stigma around mental health.
“The first time we got together, we started throwing the ball about and got people engaging.
“We know people play for their own clubs, so we don’t expect them to sign up for us. But it is also for people who may not have played much rugby at all”.
Proving it really is good to talk, the idea came to fruition when Ryan spoke to friend Sion Llewellyn-Betts.
The 44-year-old, who works for the Welsh Ambulance Service control centre in Carmarthen, said: “I was badly bullied at school, and things went from that.
“I never had an official diagnosis, but I think I am probably bipolar. So today I am fine, but then things might threaten to come into my life and get me down.
“I played rugby at school, but then life and work got in the way.
“I got involved with it again with the Vikings and the Gladiators teams in Swansea, until three years ago I wrecked my knee, so physically I couldn’t really play rugby and that wasn’t a good time for me.
“But Ryan’s idea started as a throwaway message when we were messaging each other on Facebook.
“We were talking about rugby and he said we should start our own club for people fighting depression, to provide some support, and based around rugby.
“We laughed about it, but when we went away and thought about it, we decided it was a really good idea.
“It is one of those things, that everyone experiences to a certain extent.
“Sometimes it comes to the fore, other times you do not want to get out of your bed.
“I used to work with Aberystwyth Students’ Union and I remember during my time a student killed himself, so the union went big on mental health, and kept putting out the message that it was important to talk.
“There are a lot of very good support groups out there, but some people do not access them because of the stigma around mental health.
“They might think they are not the sort of people to stand up in a room of strangers and talk about their mental health, or tell them they are suffering from depression.
“But people know what rugby is all about, and Tough Talk is about engaging not just in physical activity, but getting the support that you get from teammates”.
Tough Talk RFC, as it has been christened, has been initially based at Fall Bay RFC on Gower.
Both men and women have been involved in the first few training sessions, which involves rugby-related games, training and games of touch.
The idea is then to visit other rugby clubs in the region on a monthly basis.
Participants pass the ball around and have the opportunity to talk about their experiences – though only if they wish – with food and a wind-down in the clubhouse afterwards.
Former soldier Scott Parker, who ran a triathlon for mental health charity Mind three years ago, is also involved with the team.
He said: “I was in the Army for for eight