RUBY PITCHES CHARITY FOR TEAM’S SHIRTS
R UBY Halpin is absolutely mad about Newport County – everything her favourite team does, she follows religiously.
She loves going to games, watching them on the telly and has even been a mascot for them in the past.
“They’re not just a team, they’re part of her,” said her dad, Dan Halpin.
Ruby, nine, was suddenly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes three years ago, flipping life on its head for the Halpin family.
“Ruby being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes was a big life-changing scenario for us all,” said Mr Halpin. “It just hit us out of the blue, you know?
He added: “She amazes me, she just gets on with it. She’s beginning to understand her condition and she’s beginning to manage it, and she’s beginning to manage me! She’s telling me when her glucose levels are low and when her insulin is due.”
Since her diagnosis, Ruby and her family have been able to keep enjoying a normal life with help from charity JDRF, which specialises in research into type 1 diabetes and help for people diagnosed with it.
“Having JDRF there in the background, they were always there to ask questions to. You could always rely on them,” said Mr Halpin.
“You find people in similar situations and you realise that you’re not alone, which I think is a critical part of it all.”
Over the past several weeks, Ruby has been campaigning for JDRF to raise awareness for diabetes in the best way possible – with sponsorship on her beloved Newport County’s shirts.
The Exiles are currently holding a “save our shirt” campaign – raising £40,000 through donations, with the sponsors’ space on the front of the first team home shirt going to a charity chosen by those who have donated.
One of the charities in the running is JDRF. Unsurprisingly, Ruby is committed to seeing a charity which has helped so much recognised on the shirts of her heroes.
In a blog post, Ruby wrote: “Hopefully in making more people aware of type 1 diabetes, JDRF can continue to support me plus help raise money, which will enable them to research and hopefully, one day find a cure. That’s my dream.”
To do her bit to ensure JDRF are the charity featured on next season’s kit,
Ruby has made videos and blogged to speak about why it means so much to her.
Mr Halpin added: “For her to have her diabetes charity across the shirt would be lovely for her, and I think she’d feel quite proud of achieving that.
“Even if it doesn’t happen, it still gives the charity that platform to raise any money towards helping diabetes. We’ve still had great fun doing what we’re doing with the videos.”
Talking about Ruby raising awareness for the charity, he added: “We’ve helped her along the way, but she’s embraced it and enjoyed it. Ruby lights up when she sees her name associated with Newport, she feels like she’s a part of it.”
The love for the Exiles is something that runs in the Halpin family.
“Her brother Harrison is in the academy and Ruby gets involved in all of that, watching him every Saturday and Sunday and going to the games on the weekend,” said Mr Halpin.
“We’ve brought Ruby along with us and she’s become quite a well-known character with all the boys. And when she goes to a game she gets to see all the players, and she knows them all by name.”
In their spare time, Harrison, 11, and Ruby are often found outside playing football together and shortly before lockdown, Ruby started playing for a local football team.
“Just after Christmas she started playing for a local grass-roots team, and we got about half a dozen training sessions in and then it all came to a halt with Covid-19,” said Mr Halpin.
“But don’t get me wrong, she’s still out with the ball with her brother all the time.”
Maybe one day Ruby will get to wear the Exiles jersey for herself. But for now at least, she’s just happy that her love for football has helped raise awareness of a cause close to her heart.
You can find out more about the ‘save our shirt’ campaign at www. crowdfunder.co.uk/ncafc