Kieran Hardy should have been preparing for a mouth-watering end to the Scarlets’ PRO14 season while also pushing for a place on Wales’ summer tour to New Zealand.
But instead the 24-year-old scrum-half has been heavily involved in his team’s fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. With the United Kingdom in lockdown, the Scarlets have been busy aiding the community which has supported them for nearly 150 years.
Their Parc y Scarlets home in Llanelli is serving as an emergency hospital and along with Hywel Dda Health Board and Carmarthenshire County Council, the region has also issued 90,000 letters to those most at risk. Players such as Hardy, Wales Under-20 captain Jac Morgan, wing Ryan Conbeer and centre Osian Knott have been busy delivering food to the vulnerable for the Scarlets Community Foundation.
“We’re not playing or training at the minute and the boys aren’t together so it’s important that when we can, we can help the community in any way possible,†Hardy said. “A few of the boys went out delivering essential food packages to those in need across the region.
“One went to Carmarthen, a couple of boys headed to Ammanford, and another was in Pembrokeshire delivering the packs. The Scarlets have always been proud of being a big part of the community and it has been brilliant to see all the local rugby clubs get involved in volunteering as well.
“The rugby community has really come together to help.†The 14,870-seater Parc y Scarlets has been turned into a temporary field hospital with 500 beds and Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels sees it as the region’s responsibility to step up and deliver in times of need.
“It’s taken around 100 people on site seven days a week from 7am to 7pm along with other Scarlets, Carmarthenshire County Council and Hywel Dda staff to project manage the transformation of Parc y Scarlets,†said Daniels. “It includes new flooring, partition walls, sinks, showers, a welfare room and hundreds of power sockets.
“The challenge is so vast everyone has had to just get on with it so in some respects the hurdles which may have existed in more normal times have been overcome more easily. We are also working extremely hard with the local community to provide support for the vulnerable.
“What everyone at Parc y Scarlets has achieved is miraculous, but it does make the seriousness of the situation hit home. The Scarlets are steeped in 148 years of history.
“We’ve always been part of this community and it has always been part of us. We’ve relied on the support of our community for the last 148 years and now we have an opportunity to give something back.
“The players are doing what they can and are regularly seeking advice on what more they can do. To our fans I would say stay safe, follow government advice strictly, and look after each other.
“If we do these three things we will give ourselves the best chance of getting through this as quickly as possible.â€
ENDS
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Source: Welsh Rugby