GB Rugby League Star Jamie Peacock takes on 45 Mile Ultra for Greenhouse Sports

Jamie Peacock, Rugby League legend, has announced he is running the Green Man Ultra Marathon in support of sports and mentoring charity Greenhouse Sports, on 6th March 2021. Jamie is aiming to raise £30,000 which will provide a fulltime Greenhouse Sports Coach to a school for a whole year.

Jamie, who made more than 500 club appearances and accumulated 47 international caps, has chosen to support Greenhouse because of his passion for sport and the positive impact that sports has on children and their mental health and academic achievement. It has been proven that sport has a positive and powerful impact on people, particularly children, and Jamie wants to ensure that more children are given that opportunity.

Greenhouse Sports use a unique combination of mentoring and sport to help young people living in poverty reach their full potential, both at school and then into employment. Currently there are 4 million children in the UK living in poverty, and these children’s circumstances are impacted more by Covid-19, with worse mental health outcomes, academic outcomes and employment prospects. We work in schools where at least 67% of pupils live in areas of high deprivation.

With key support from the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, we partner with schools to embed full-time coaches who become trusted mentors and inspire the children to aim higher.

This unique formula mirrors Jamie Peacock’s love of coaching and mentoring, something which he has turned into a job with his motivational and team building courses. With the Rugby League World Cup taking place in 2021, this is the perfect opportunity to raise awareness and raise money for such a great charity that helps so many young people.

If Jamie reaches his fundraising goal, his efforts will provide a fulltime Greenhouse Sports Coach to a school for a year. In the provision of the coach, these young people will have a consistent and positive role model who can help develop their sporting ability, life skills and academic performance. School children supported by a Greenhouse Sports Coach are on average likely to attend more than 5 days of school a year than those not on Greenhouse programmes.

This is not the first time Jamie has set himself a marathon challenge to raise money for charity – Jamie completed an ultramarathon in October 2020 to raise money for his former Leeds team-mate Rob Burrow, who was recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. The 37-year-old, who won eight Super League titles with the Rhinos before retiring in 2017, revealed he had been diagnosed with MND in December 2019. Peacock completed the Ultra Marathon with Simon Dent, the founder of sports marketing agency Dark Horses, who will be running with him again for Greenhouse Sports.

If you would like to donate to this great cause, please follow the link here to Jamie and Simon’s JustGiving page.

Event: The Winter Green Man Ultra Marathon 
Date: Saturday 6th March 2021
Location: Ashton Park School, Bristol
Distance: 45 miles / 72 Kilometres
Elevation: 3100 feet / 945 metres