Players respond to lend help to students

THE year by year support shown by Cornish Pirates players to both the Cornish Pirates Learning Zone at Penzance and the CPR Learning Space at Camborne is greatly appreciated by all involved.

Youngsters attending the CPLZ are regularly given an opportunity to meet the players and interview them.

A player at a time, attends a given session where the students will ask a series of questions that they have prepared, recording also their answers to find out about life as a professional sports person.

CPLZ teacher Clare Moore commented: "It's a fantastic literacy task that we use and the young students get to meet a player and find out how they have got to be where they are today."

Players attending the CPLZ during the past week have included Paul Devlin, Carl Rimmer and Rhys Jones; whilst Jimmy Moore and Chris Morgan have volunteered to this week attend sessions at the CPR Learning Space.

John Watson from the CPR Learning Space said: "Having players coming to our sessions is brilliant, and we also use them in our literacy programme. The benefits for the students from meeting a player are boundless."

The teaching of English (literacy) in schools is split into three parts – reading, writing and speaking & listening.

Firstly, all students take part in a discussion about what it takes to be a professional sportsman, including the level of dedication required. They can then use website facilities to research a player who is coming to visit a session and pick out relevant details such as date and place of birth, previous clubs, playing position etc. It is a good reading exercise after which they then write a set of appropriate questions to ask the player during a formal interview.

A second session provides the speaking & listening opportunity, as on a player's arrival he is asked two or three questions before students have a chance to meet the player and talk to him in smaller groups. Then, on the player's departure, the children who were present can again derive a writing benefit, as they compile a news article about their experiences.

● Cornish Pirates season ticket sales have passed the 500 mark.

Parents and youngsters should also note that accompanied children under 16 can obtain a free terrace season ticket to Cornish Pirates' home Championship and British & Irish Cup matches.

For further details please contact the club's ticket office, 01736 331961.

● The Cornish Pirates are looking forward to a great season, with a strengthened squad both on and off the pitch.

Latest arrival to the support/admin team is Kelvin Collins, who has just left a very different role at Standard Life in Edinburgh to return to Cornwall to take the role of marketing manager at the club.

Kelvin was born in Redruth and sat his A levels at Redruth School before moving around the country with various senior marketing roles in the big banks.

At HSBC in Birmingham he was involved with the sponsorship deal that launched popular Fifth Gear presenter Jason Plato into Touring Car racing, and more recently in Manchester he led the team responsible for The Co-operative Insurance Cup, Scotland's soccer league cup competition.

At The Co-operative he was also responsible for introducing the 'Good With...' line that accompanies all their advertising, be that Good With Money at the bank, or Good With Food at the supermarkets.

Kelvin is delighted to take the opportunity working for the Cornish Pirates, commenting: "This role is about a great team, it's about the fans and sponsors, and it's about Cornwall itself.

"I want for us to be famous among rugby fans and those with just a passing interest."