With recent international fixtures proving to be more electrifying than ever, this year’s fast approaching competition promises to be an exciting time for rugby and everyone involved with sporting communities.

To celebrate recent achievements and to mark what lies ahead the Mowden Park Community Programme took on the challenge of breaking the world record for the largest group of people performing the famous Maori war cry, the Haka.

Recruiting the help of over 50 schools from across the North East Mowden Park set out to break the current record that stands at 4028 which was set in Brive, France.

As Mowden Park continue to make headway on the pitch, its off field progress has achieved similar successes. Since moving into The Northern Echo Arena in 2012 the Mowden Park Community Team has gone from strength to strength and are currently celebrating a milestone achievement after having positively impacted over 50,000 people across the North East.

During the last five years children of all ages from more than 100 schools have taken part in its curriculum and extracurricular programmes. It has seen expansion from the initial rugby sessions into an array of community initiatives and activities including multi-sport, health and wellbeing projects, education and social inclusion.

Community Manager, Anne Rose, was keen to stress this diverse approach and aim: “The programmes ensure there is a future generation of rugby players coming through the age groups, not just for Mowden Park but hopefully the region. Most importantly, we’re giving young people wider skills and opportunities, and it is about far more than just rugby or even sport.”

Anne went on to comment regarding today’s World Record attempt “We are really pleased with how the day has gone. It required a huge amount of organising and I have to thank all the schools that took part for their corporation, some of whom have been rehearsing for more than 4 weeks with groups of up to 400 pupils.“

“We have been working closely alongside Corey Baker Dance Team to put together an educational DVD as we felt it important that the children gained an understanding of what they were performing, the movements of the Haka, the words and its cultural importance.”
Organising an event of this magnitude is a real achievement and Anne was quick express her gratitude “We must also thank the council and our event partners who made the occasion possible. We’re hoping that the event raises the profile for what lies ahead in 2015. It’s an exciting time for sport and the region as a whole.’’