Cardiff Rugby academy continued the club’s commitment to sustainability thanks to a day volunteering on Pen y Fan.
Members of the junior and senior academy joined the National Trust in the Brecon Beacons to take part in essential maintenance work on the highest peak in Southern Britain.
They unexpectedly hit the headlines after helping the National Trust rangers retrieve a bathtub, which had been taken to the summit by an influencer.
But regardless of the additional and unexpected team building exercise, the initiative served as the perfect finale to the first block of pre-season, while strengthening the club’s focus on the environment.
The event was organised between academy manager Gruff Rees and Cardiff RFC wing Tom Williams, who works as a National Trust Ranger responsible for 72km of footpath in the Central Beacons.
Williams said: “It was really pleasing to use my rugby connections to organise a fantastic day on Pen y Fan.
“The lads undertook maintenance work on the foot path while also repairing damage and erosion alongside the path, using landscaping techniques.
Volunteers are the backbone of the National Trust
“Work like this is highly important as it’s designed to protect the mountain from the heavy footfall of visitors. We have significant numbers walking up Pen y Fan, estimated to be around 750,000 annually and this creates a lot of work for myself and our Area Ranger Huw Barrell.
“Volunteers are the backbone of the National Trust and we are very grateful to Cardiff Rugby for their help. It was hard work, particularly in the heat, but I think the boys enjoyed it and took a lot out of the exercise.
“The central Beacons is also a Special Site of Scientific Interest so when the bathtub was found on the summit it was great that we had the boys there on the day to help us remove it!”
Forward Cardiff: From Pitch to Planet – Cardiff Rugby’s new sustainability strategy will be launched at the Arms Park this summer.