Rugby star takes game to Kenya (From This is The West Country)

Rugby star takes game to Kenya

7:30pm Friday 3rd July 2009 in Somerset By Richard Purdon

A STAR rugby player from Yeovil College has been sharing her love of the sport with children from some of Kenya’s poorest regions on a recent trip to Africa.

Krissie Harpur, 19, a sports science student at Yeovil, is a player in the England Colleges rugby team and was offered the chance to join a Martock Christian Fellowship group visiting Kenya.

Along with fellow volunteers Rosemary Heath-Coleman and Andy Starmer she travelled to Nanyuki – a market town in central Kenya – to find out more about support for children in the area.

Krissie spent a week visiting destinations including a hospice, a primary school for under-tens and a school for children with disabilities.

One of the highlights was party for local children organised by the volunteers, where Krissie was able to use her rugby skills to get a few informal games going with balls donated by Somerset Rugby Football Union.

As well as rugby balls, Krissie took out other items donated by friends and families of the volunteers.

She said: “I’ve always wanted to do voluntary work in Africa and I’ve always wanted to work with kids.

“It’s really changed my view of the wider world – it’s all good hearing about it on the news, but seeing it and hearing it are really different things.

“I would love to go out there again and fell we really can make a difference.