About us
In its first instance, the St Columba Rugby Trust was formed to aid in collating funding for St Columba & Torpoint RFC to move and build a new clubhouse. Sadly this was not possible due to a variety of reasons. In the face of this, the charity has decided to continue and focus its efforts on supporting our community in Plymouth and the Ramehead peninsula in the South West of England.
Meet the Team
As a small charity, we believe it is important that we recognise our volunteers. As our charity grows we will continue to champion our volunteers on here and our social media accounts. If you want to get involved with us please get in touch!
Paul Stentiford - Charity Director
I had been a club member of ST Columba & Torpoint RFC since September 2017. I started with the club when my young boy decided he wanted to follow in my footsteps and play rugby as a sport. I was approached by the club youth chair and asked if I would help coach the youth as I had a training and coaching background from my time serving in the British Army for 24 years in total. I took on the role and found myself being more and more involved with the rugby club while at the same time building my coaching profile and rugby skill level.
I played rugby in my school years at Plymstock School and then continued when joining the army playing within my unit, with some time spent playing at Colchester RFC & Royston RFC. When a position on the charity board came about, I was more than happy to take on this role as I have plenty of experience working within a charity role from my time in the British Army. Since leaving the Army I have worked for 3 local companies, Princess Yachts Ltd, Babcock International, and currently at EP Compliance, each time picking up new skill sets that will undoubtably assist me in the role of ST Columba Rugby Trust, Charity Director.
My goal is to help the charity grow across Devon and Cornwall, and educate local youth and young adults on the advantages of a healthy lifestyle by using the ETHOS of RFU – TREDS – Teamwork, Respect, Discipline, Sportsmanship.
Rob Lowe - Secretary
Since becoming a member of the rugby club in 2019, I have been actively involved within the club, taking on the roles of Treasurer, Coach & New Build Liaison. I have been involved in many rugby clubs since my youth, starting at Fawley RFC and then at Camborne School of Mines as a player and committee official.
Since becoming injured at the age of 19, I have been looking for ways of giving back to the game that has brought me so much joy, one such way of doing this is as a referee. At this current time, I am a level 6 referee with the Cornwall Rugby Referees Society and an RFU Assistant Referee, taking part in local, regional, and national league games.
Now firmly set in the Plymouth & Rame Head area I am honoured to play a part in this fantastic charity. I am extremely excited about our future and how we can help the community I live in. As a teacher, I am more than aware of the difficulties that young people face, and in my experience, the Rugby family is the perfect place to help support them. If I can be a part of any good this charity brings then I consider that a job well done.