The Rugby League Lions Association is making a £1,000 donation to the family of Mose Masoe to assist with the Hull KR player’s ongoing recovery from a serious spinal injury.

The money was raised by the Lions at their annual reunion luncheon last month, partly from the sale of commemorative Lions Association rugby balls donated by the event sponsors, Ellis Rugby.

Mose, 30, is currently being treated at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield and hopes to be able to move out of bed into a wheelchair in the next few weeks.

He is facing a lengthy period of intensive rehabilitation at the dedicated spinal unit, where the former Samoa international and his family are being supported by the RL Benevolent Fund.

John Ledger, Secretary of the Rugby League Lions Association, said: “We hope this small donation will help Mose and his family at what is clearly a very traumatic time for them.

“Our annual luncheon was a huge success attended by some of the greatest players ever to play Rugby League and they feel privileged to be able to help another player in his hour of need.”

Over 70 Lions attended the 2020 reunion lunch, including RL Hall of Fame inductees Billy Boston MBE, Malcolm Reilly OBE, Neil Fox MBE and Alex Murphy OBE.  Hull KR Lions Phil Lowe, Mike Smith, Ged Dunn, Garry Clark and George Fairbairn were also in attendance.

The RL Lions Association was established in 1945 and is run on behalf of players and staff who have been involved in tours or international tournaments in the southern hemisphere with Great Britain, England or Wales, in the 1975 World Championship.

The Rugby League Benevolent Fund has received a magnificent £10,000 donation from the Steve Prescott Foundation to help the charity provide care and rehabilitation for Hull Kingston Rovers player Mose Masoe.

Mose is currently being treated in Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, after suffering a serious spinal injury in a pre-season game against Wakefield Trinity on January 12.

RL Benevolent Fund General Manager Steve Ball said: “This is yet another magnificent gesture from an organisation that truly understands the values of the Rugby League family.

“Since its inception, the Steve Prescott Foundation has been a major supporter of the RL Benevolent Fund and this donation will help us to provide Mose and his family with the support and care they need at this critical time.”

The £10,000 donation is in addition to a cheque for £40,000 presented to the RL Benevolent Fund at the RFL President’s Ball, which was held on the eve of the match in which Mose was injured.

Steve Prescott Foundation Chairman Mike Denning said: “The injury to Mose could happen to anyone who takes to the rugby pitch. Mose is a well loved Rugby League player and has been a fans’ favourite at every club he has played for.

“The SPF continues to support the RL Benevolent Fund in its purpose to provide relief for players who suffer serious injury, resulting in life-changing circumstances whilst playing the greatest game. We are sure the amazing people who support and raise funds for the SPF would want us to give extra support Mose and his family during this testing time.”

The Steve Prescott Foundation will make collections for Mose at the GPW Recruitment St Helens 10k Run and encourage the 2,000 runners to ‘Bring a £1 for Mose.’ The SPF has also been given permission by Super League champions St Helens to stage a bucket collection at the match against Hull KR on March 26.

The Steve Prescott Foundation has donated over £621,000 to the RL Benevolent Fund to date and is committed to continuing that support in 2020 through major fundraising events, including a cycle ride from the Eiffel Tower to Blackpool Tower; the Yorkshire Three Peaks; and Machu Picchu Rainbow Mountains Trek in October.

A Justgiving page set up to help Mose and his family has already raised over £40,000.

It’s a question we’ve often been asked in 2019: ‘What does Rugby League Cares do?’

If only the answer was as easy to put into six words…

As an independent charity, we act in the best interests of every section of Rugby League, from the children passing a ball for the first time at junior clubs, through to the heroes who thrill crowds and TV audiences on a weekly basis, and on to the legends of yesteryear, whose exploits are woven into the very fabric of the sport.

Looking back on 2019, even we have been amazed by the scope of our work and the number of people whose lives we have touched.

Our big focus this year has been delivering welfare services to the game’s most important stakeholders, the players. We’ve made some big appointments since January, including the sport’s first-ever Transition Manager in Steve McCormack, who has made a massive difference.

Players are now fully supported and encouraged to make plans for a working life away from rugby, and protected by a support network that aims to offset many of the disadvantages they face as professional athletes.

Working with our sister charity, the RL Benevolent Fund, we have been there for the bad times when tragedy strikes, both on the field and off it, supporting the families who have lost a loved one.

Our grants team are bringing unprecedented levels of funding into the sport from outside agencies and companies, all of whom recognise the value of our work.

Their efforts, aligned to our ongoing fundraising campaigns, have helped us generate £1.2m to spend across a sport that remains as special today as it was when it was born 125 years ago.

We have continued to catalogue and preserve Rugby League’s official collections at Heritage Quay within the University of Huddersfield, and are still working hard to realise our ambition to open a world class National RL Museum. Watch this space!

As we approach the end of what has been a momentous year for the team at Rugby League Cares, the infographic above provides a snapshot which goes some way to explaining what the charity is all about.

We do so much more, but we couldn’t do what we do without the support of so many people: to all of you who have supported our work in 2019, a massive ‘thank you’!

Happy New Year everyone.

Lizzie Jones has said she is “overwhelmed” and “feels privileged” after being awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list.

Lizzie’s husband, Danny collapsed and died from an undiagnosed heart defect while playing for Keighley Cougars against London Skolars in May 2015.

The Wales international’s sudden death prompted Lizzie to launch a campaign in association with the RL Benevolent Fund to raise funds to help amateur Rugby League clubs purchase cardiac defibrillators.

Over the last four years, the Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund has raised almost £200,000 and purchased potentially life-saving equipment that is safeguarding the health of more than 40,000 Rugby League players and officials, as well as countless fans.

The fund has also helped pay for cardiac screening for junior and adult Rugby League players, and in recent months is helping other sports, including cricket, generate the funds they need to instal defibrillators at local clubs.

Lizzie has received the award for services to Rugby League and charity.

Lizzie Jones said: “I feel absolutely overwhelmed and privileged to accept the MBE on behalf of the whole Rugby League family for the way in which it has embraced our work with the Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund.

“The fund continues to save lives and raise awareness of cardiac health, and I know Danny would have been immensely proud of what we have achieved.

“I have met some amazing people and heard some incredible stories through my involvement with the DJ fund and in my role as an ambassador for the RL Benevolent Fund, and this honour is as much for them as it is for me.”

Tim Adams MBE, Chairman of the Rugby League Benevolent Fund, said: “We would like to congratulate Lizzie on becoming an MBE which recognises the special part she continues to play in the sport.

“From the tragedy surrounding the loss of Danny, Lizzie has shaped a sporting success story that is impacting on the lives of thousands of people

“Her energy and passion for cardiac health has meant that many families have not had to endure what she and her family went through. Lizzie’s MBE is richly deserved.”

Ralph Rimmer, the Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League, said: “Everyone in Rugby League is proud of Lizzie, and delighted she receives this national recognition.

“Lizzie is a charity pioneer and her work continues to change and save lives in our communities. She has been a generous ambassador for the RL Benevolent Fund and is also a champion for women’s Rugby League.

“She has supported charities and businesses in Yorkshire, which has been recognised by a number of regional and national awards both for her voluntary work, and her career as a professional singer. Huge congratulations to Lizzie from us all at the RFL, and a very Happy New Year.”

Natalie’s family have confirmed that her funeral will take place on Friday January 10, 2020, at Chanterlands Avenue Crematorium, Hull, at 2.30pm.

This will be followed by a wake at Lazaat Hotel, Woodhill Way, Cottingham.

Those attending may wear whatever dress code they feel appropriate to celebrate Natalie’s life. There will be a collection for the Rugby League Benevolent Fund.

We are still awaiting the final pathologist’s report on the cause of Natalie’s death. Her family were aware that Natalie was two months pregnant.

The support for Natalie and her family has been unbelievable and we are very appreciative to all those concerned. With Christmas approaching, we would repeat our request for privacy through this most difficult of periods.

Thank you.