The Cambridge university rugby team are able to exist in great part because of the legacy of our strong local community over many generations. This year, the club is prioritising the legacy that we in turn leave for generations to come, starting with the facilities we provide for our community. As part of our fundraising efforts for a new training centre, the team has decided to go beyond the physical health of our members by also creating the platform to support the mental health of the community. Mental health is a key issue for the University, both within and outside the Rugby Club, and in 2018, the team is committed to addressing this by donating 50% of funds raised to mental health initiatives.

Our team members are often seen to be invincible, which can inhibit our participation in conversations about vulnerability and mental health, and as a result, the mental health of our players can be ignored. To change the conversation around these issues, we have identified the need to reflect on what can be done internally, then use the platform we've been given to participate and change the discussion on mental health in the Cambridge community. Internally, we plan to expand on existing health facilities to provide a full suite of social and professional support networks for club members. From here, we plan to create awareness around the importance of addressing mental health issues through an inclusive, authentic campaign in the wider University.

Part of our campaign is a whole team challenge: every player will run the equivalent of the distance between Cambridge and Twickenham (66 miles) during pre-season fitness programme. The team will lead a 2km warm-up team run through town each Saturday morning, wearing (hopefully bright) campaign shirts to raise awareness of our mental health campaign and uniting our team in the same way that the Springbok's Francois Pienaar did to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

On top of this, I will be completing a 5 mile Tough Mudder Race. That' 5 miles of mud. In order to raise awareness for the cause, I will be wearing one of our (hopefully bright) campaign shirts alongside CURUFC's very own branded Budgie Smugglers (speedos). I hope to be quite a sight. If you want to find out more about this event, please visit www.toughmudder.co.uk.

For team and myself, this is a really important cause. We are presented with a unique opportunity to leave a legacy behind for later CURUFC generations and also create a positive and lasting culture within the wider Cambridge community. Donations of any size are really appreciated and will make an enormous difference.