School of Hard Knocks

10/10/2026

Behind every statistic is a young person who deserves to feel confident, connected and supported.

At School Of Hard Knocks, we believe early support matters. Through our schools programme, we're helping young people build confidence, strengthen relationships and develop the tools they need to navigate life's challenges.

This World Mental Health Day and Su***de Prevention Day, let's keep creating spaces where no young person feels they have to struggle alone.

***dePreventionDay

08/10/2026

Teamwork makes the dream work 💪

05/10/2026

⛳ We're delighted to see our recent Royal Musselburgh Golf Day success featured in the East Lothian Courier!

Thanks to the incredible support of everyone involved, including rugby legend Gavin Hastings, the event raised an amazing £17,000 to help young people at risk of disengaging from education. 💙

Read the story: https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/26583382.gavin-hastings-helps-raise-17k-young-people-risk/

A charity golf day hosted by Scottish rugby great Gavin Hastings has raised £17,000 for young people at risk of disengaging from education.

05/10/2026

With your support, events like our upcoming Wales Long Lunch help us reach more young people and help them reengage with school. Whether it's from showing up, spreading the word, or donating to School Of Hard Knocks, it all makes such a big difference! 👏🏉

Join us and our host Tom Shanklin in Cardiff for an unforgettable afternoon of inspiring conversation, great company, and vital fundraising to help young people thrive in school and beyond.

📅 05 November 2026
📍 The Parkgate Hotel, Cardiff

🎟️ For info and tickets, please contact [email protected]

02/10/2026

Today we say farewell to our CEO and Founder Ken Cowen, who is stepping down as CEO of SOHK. Ken is more than our boss... he's a dear friend and constant inspiration. After 15 years leading the charity from strength to strength, we cannot wait to see what his next achievements will be!

No matter what he does next, Ken will always be the Founder of SOHK and we will always be his team 🫶 🏉 We will miss you Ken!

01/10/2026

Sharif's story shows what's possible when young people are given the support they deserve ❤️

As we mark today, remember that Gift Aid can add an extra 25p to every £1 donated at no extra cost to you, helping us reach more young people like Sharif, so don't forget to ✅

Read his story 👉 https://loom.ly/ZxMcXn8

30/09/2026

⏰ Save the Date!

If you've ever attended one of our networking events, you'll know we thrive on bringing likeminded people together. Our Square Mile Networking Event is an evening for business leaders, long-standing supporters and prospective donors to converse, connect, and to see what the SOHK is all about!

💻 https://loom.ly/utVxUrc
⏰ 6pm – 8pm
📆 Thursday 19th November
📍 Liverpool Street Chop House, London (Square Mile)
✉️ Interested? Email: [email protected]

29/09/2026

School Of Hard Knocks was proud to co-host a special Women in Rugby event alongside the Advanta Foundation and Dallaglio RugbyWorks 🎉 👏

Brilliantly hosted by Caroline Blair, the event kicked off with an interview with Debs Griffith about her year as RFU President, her playing days and her hopes for the continued growth of women’s rugby.

Caroline was also joined by rugby legends Shaunagh Brown, Rachael Burford and Vicky Fleetwood. Three phenomenal women who, between them, have 196 England caps, World Cup wins and Grand Slam titles. They shared their journeys into rugby, the impact the sport has had on their lives and what life looks like beyond the playing field 🏉

It was a fantastic celebration of women in rugby and the power of sport to create opportunities, connections and lasting impact 🌟

England Rugby

25/09/2026

A huge thank you to our extended SOHK family for the most fantastic golf day yesterday! ⛳

We raised £17.2k in vital funds for the charity and we all had a ball 🎉

Royal Musselburgh Golf Club ordered the sun to shine, Gavin Hastings was the host with the most, Fisher & Donaldson provided delectable fudge donuts, and Ally Logan gave us a very memorable and successful auction!

THANK YOU to our team leads, the players, our volunteers, our staff and all of the people who donated auction and raffle prizes. Stay tuned for 2027! 👏

Read more about the event here 👉 https://loom.ly/ppj2MJc

23/09/2026

🚨🏉 FIRST LOOK: SOHK's New Website Has Landed 🏉🚨

Fresh out of the box and ready for kick-off 👀

After months of work behind the scenes, we're proud to unveil the new School Of Hard Knocks (SOHK) website!

Faster, easier to navigate and more engaging, our new digital home makes it simpler than ever for families, schools, supporters and volunteers to connect with SOHK and see the difference we're making.

From inspiring stories of young people overcoming challenges, to events, fundraising ideas and ways to get involved - it's all in one place now.

Have a look around and see how rugby, mentoring and personal development are helping young people stay in school and build brighter futures 💙

🔗 https://schoolofhardknocks.org.uk

We'd love to hear what you think - drop us a comment!