Wooden Spoon Northumberland

04/10/2026

27/09/2026

was incredible! Thank you to everyone who came and helped raise over £120,000 for children and young people across the UK & Ireland!

🤍💙❤️💚

27/09/2026

🐴🏇 THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE HORSE BUSINESS! 🐴🏇

What a fabulous day we had at Wooden Spoon Vets Fest 2026 at Tynedale RFC!

As part of Wooden Spoon Northumberland, we were very proud to bring a little extra fun to the day with our Pantomime Horse Race and what a spectacle it turned out to be! 😂

With only four pantomime horses available, we had to improvise… so alongside the horses we welcomed a rather magnificent cow 🐄 and zebra 🦓 to the starting line!

Six runners, three races and a final, all after a full day of playing rugby. The effort that went into the costumes was fantastic, and the competitive spirit was even better!

A huge THANK YOU to our wonderful main sponsors BTGUK and BK plus for supporting the event. We were especially delighted that they came along and got involved themselves. When one of the teams had to drop out, they stepped in to make up the numbers and went on to make it all the way to the final, coming very close to taking the win! 🏇👏

We were also incredibly grateful to have three fantastic sponsors for our individual races:

🏆 The McCreath Simpson & Prentice Main Event — sponsored by McCreath Simpson & Prentice

🏰 The Bamburgh Castle Knights Mare Stakes — sponsored by Bamburgh Castle

🧀 The Cheese Room Chase — sponsored by The Cheese Room at Alnwick Deli

Thank you to all three for helping make the races possible and supporting Wooden Spoon. ❤️

And of course, a massive thank you to every team who took part. After a full day of rugby, to then throw yourselves into pantomime horse racing — was absolutely brilliant!

Rugby, fundraising, ridiculous costumes and a little bit of equine chaos… what’s not to love? 😂🐴

Thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a memorable one.

08/09/2026

🏏🥄 A HUGE THANK YOU FROM WOODEN SPOON NORTHUMBERLAND! 🥄🏏

What a fantastic Pimms & Paella Day we had on Sunday at Alnmouth & Lesbury Cricket Club!

A huge thank you to the club for hosting us, everyone involved in organising the day, and of course the Wooden Spoon Select XI and Alnmouth & Lesbury Presidents XI for a great afternoon of cricket.

We’re absolutely delighted that the day raised an incredible £3,500 for Wooden Spoon Northumberland! 🎉👏

Thank you to everyone who came along, supported the teams, enjoyed the Pimms, paella and cricket, and joined in with the auction, bingo and raffle.

Your generosity and support are hugely appreciated and will help us continue to support children and young people through Wooden Spoon. ❤️💙💚🤍

Thank you all. 🥄❤️🏏

06/08/2026

Love cricket? Love Pimm’s? Love Northumberland oysters? Then this could be the event for you!

Cricket, Pimms, paella, oysters, cream tea with all proceeds raised going to the fantastic Wooden Spoon Charity.

For tickets get in touch - quickly as seats/tables are going fast!

Alnmouth & Lesbury Cricket Club Wooden Spoon Charity Harry's Bar - Alnwick. Alnwick WHAT'S ON

20/07/2026

🌟 Meet the Committee 🌟

Behind every fundraising event, project handover and raffle is a fantastic team of volunteers who are passionate about making a difference.

Over the next few months, we’d like to introduce you to some of the people behind Wooden Spoon Northumberland and share a little about why they give up their time to support the charity.

First up is our Chair, Iain Stewart.

🏉 How long have you been involved with Wooden Spoon?

“I’ve been involved for a number of years, serving on the committee for the last six years and as Chair for the past four.”

💚 What inspired you to get involved?

“After many years in service organisations and retiring from Round Table, Danny Hodgson told me he’d found the perfect role for me… and you don’t say no to Danny!”

😊 What does being Chair mean to you?

“I’ve always believed in giving something back to my community, and Wooden Spoon gives me the opportunity to do that in such a positive way. Seeing the smiles on young people’s faces when we open a project makes all the fundraising worthwhile and inspires us to do even more.

I’m only one part of an amazing committee. Together we organise events, raise funds and work with the rugby family to make a real difference. As Chair, I also spend time visiting rugby clubs to talk about our projects and how they can help. The rugby family supporting each other really is a powerful force.”

❤️ A Wooden Spoon memory you’ll never forget…

“The first project I opened was in Hexham. A young pupil became fascinated by my Wooden Spoon tie. I crouched down so she could have a better look and she grabbed hold of it… and wouldn’t let go! My rugby-worn knees were suffering, but there was no way I was standing up until she was ready.

There’s still a mark on the tie where she held it and I’ll never have it cleaned. It’s a memory I’ll always treasure.”

🏉 Quick Fire Round

🏆 Favourite rugby player?
Jonny Wilkinson – kicking England to Rugby World Cup glory.

📍 Favourite rugby ground?
Eden Park, New Zealand – iconic.

🍺 Post-match drink?
“It depends on the result… Theakston’s Best Bitter, Guinness, a Piña Colada or a glass of red wine!”

📺 If you could watch one rugby match from history live?
Barbarians v All Blacks, Cardiff, 1973.

🤔 Something people might not know about you?
“I spend my weekdays administering estates and my weekends trying to convince rugby supporters that buying another raffle ticket is a sensible financial decision!”

🥄 And finally…

Describe Wooden Spoon in three words…

💚 “Stir Those Smiles.”

Thank you, Iain, for everything you do for Wooden Spoon Northumberland.

Keep an eye on our page over the coming weeks as we introduce more of the amazing volunteers behind our region and celebrate the people who help make a difference to children and young people across Northumberland through the power of rugby.

29/06/2026

⛳️ Wooden Spoon Northumberland Golf Day 2026

Could you help us make this year’s Golf Day our biggest yet?

We’re looking for teams of four to join us at Alnwick Castle Golf Club on Thursday 3rd September 2026 for a fantastic day of golf, great company and fundraising in support of Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby.

Whether you’re representing a golf club, rugby club, local business, organisation or simply a group of friends, we’d love you to join us.

Your day includes:

🏌️ Team of four – £280
☕ Registration, tea, coffee and refreshments from 9.30am
⛳ Sh***un start at 10.30am
🍽️ Two-course meal after golf
🏆 Prize presentation
🎟️ Auction and raffle

Every pound raised will help Wooden Spoon Northumberland continue funding projects that give children and young people across our region the chance to play, learn, thrive and be safe.

If you can’t enter a team, you can still make a huge difference!

Please share this post with your friends, family, rugby club, golf club, workplace and local businesses. Every share helps us reach more people and gives us the best chance of filling the event and raising even more money for local projects.

📲 To book your team, simply scan the QR code on the poster below.

Over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing more about our fundraising events, our volunteers, our partner clubs and the difference your support is making across Northumberland, so keep an eye on our page.

Thank you for your continued support, we look forward to seeing you on the fairway!

21/06/2026

🚐 Minibus Handover at Tynedale 7s

Yesterday, Wooden Spoon Northumberland was delighted to officially hand over the keys to a newly funded minibus for the Cramlington Voluntary Youth Project.

Funded through the incredible support of our fundraising activities, together with remaining funds from the Stay Strong Stu Fund, the minibus will help transport young people to Chirdon Head Expedition Centre, providing greater access to outdoor learning, activities and life-enhancing experiences.

The keys were presented by President Francis Watson-Armstrong and accepted by Faye Willis, SEND Coordinator, on behalf of the project during the Tynedale RFC 7s Tournament.

The Stay Strong Stu Fund continues to leave a lasting legacy, helping to create opportunities for young people across our region.

This handover reflects Wooden Spoon Northumberland’s ongoing commitment to supporting disabled and disadvantaged children and young people through the power of rugby.

RFC

21/06/2026

Joining National Wooden Spoon in celebrating all the incredible dads today. Happy Father’s Day! 🤍 💙❤️💚

Happy Fathers Day to all our Spoons dads out there!

⚪ 🔵 🔴 🟢

15/06/2026

Donate now for a great cause

Help Northumberland Spoon Vets Men's XV raise money to support Wooden Spoon