Emma Graham becomes Blues Foundation Ambassador

Blues Foundation are delighted to announce that Bedford Blues Women 2021/22 Players’ Player of the Year, Emma Graham has agreed to become the latest Ambassador of the charity.

An integral part of Bedford Blues Women since their official launch during the COVID-19 pandemic, Graham made history at Goldington Road in October 2021 by becoming the first player to score points for the side in their debut fixture against Shelford Ladies Nomads.

She continued her scoring exploits throughout the campaign to finish as top try scorer, leading the side to the NC3 Midlands (Central) Division title to cap off a magnificent debut campaign for Mark Stapley’s side.

Away from rugby, Graham has been working for the last eight years at Bedford based SSG Education & Training, an educational facilitator who aim to help people reach their potential through being active and developing skills.

The ethos of SSG, who support people of all ages right the way across the county, perfectly aligns with Blues Foundation are we are proud to welcome Graham into our charity to grow our base of knowledge and identify further key ways we can help and engage with those in the community who may require our services.

Speaking on becoming a Blues Foundation Ambassador, Graham said: “My time at SSG has given me the confidence to speak up for young people and ensure they are provided with high education that is tailored towards meeting their varied needs, ultimately allowing them all to be successful.

“My department at SSG provides support for both young people – through our college provision – and adults also to learn new skills and to move closer, or even into, employment. Now I can align this as a Blues Foundation Ambassador, I want to start shouting louder to give more opportunities to people in the local community.

“It’s important that everyone is given a chance to understand how they can support their wellbeing and particularly how having a healthy lifestyle – such as participating in sport – can have a positive impact on wellbeing.

“In supporting Blues Foundation as an Ambassador, I would like to use my experiences from work and rugby to give more girls and women the chance to participate in sport. I want to be a positive role model so that others can take a leap of faith into a new opportunity, just like I did when initially joining Bedford Blues Women.” 

Graham is a fantastic Ambassador to help share and promote our messages across Bedfordshire and we look forward to working more closely aligned in the coming months and years.

Moving to Bedford from Teesside to continue her education at The University of Bedfordshire, Graham has more than a decade’s experience of being ingrained within the town and will be able to share experiences and learning points to those engaged through our provision and activation.

We are proud of what we have achieved from our own launch two years ago to the present day, and look forward to what the future holds – and are equally as excited to have Graham on board for the journey with our fellow Ambassadors and members of staff.

Blues Foundation Manager, Tom Harwood added: “We are really excited about what’s to come at Blues Foundation with an increased core staff based at Goldington Road and we welcome Emma into our Ambassadorial team who continue to provide support and advice to our charity.

“When you consider the experiences of Budge, Mouritz, Max and Emma – that is an extremely powerful depth of knowledge which we can now tap into and utilise when creating new activation and looking at constantly upgrading what we currently offer.

“I’m really excited for the future of our charity, and I hope everyone else continues to get behind us and joins us on the journey of impacting on as many lives within Bedfordshire as possible.”

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You can find Blues Foundation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Alternatively, you can contact Blues Foundation Manager, Tom Harwood via email at info@bluesfoundation.org.uk with any specific questions you may have.