Exactly 20 years ago Will Greenwood was part of the England team which won the rugby world cup.
This summer he is running the third Holkham Festival of Sport and moving to Norfolk.
‘I just love Norfolk,’ said Will, who was also part of the Leicester Tigers squad which won two Premiership titles. ‘All of that fresh air and wide open skies are the perfect antidote to the busy-ness of some parts of our lives. It’s somewhere that we can properly relax.’
Will set up the Festival of Sport with fellow ex-England star Austin Healey to give children and their families the chance to spend a few days enjoying sport, coached by some of the biggest names in the business.
‘The underlying ethos is ‘no one gets left on the bench,’ said Will. ‘We’re really lucky to be able to offer a number of free places through various charity partners which this year includes Break.’ Young care-leavers will help the Norfolk-based charity run a coffee van and games stand.
‘The best part of it for me is seeing so many youngsters discovering the joy of sport, and whole families enjoying spending time together,’ said Will. ‘The space around the cricket pitch makes a perfect focal point, then there’s the lake right there for kayaking and rowing and a fantastic circuit for the Sunday morning family 5k run.
'Being able to camp next to the activity zones is the ultimate bonus – it's genuinely the highlight of the summer for me.’
‘I’ve never seen so many smiling faces in one place as I have there so I can’t wait to see that again this year,’ said Will. ‘From football, netball, hockey, golf and of course rugby, to archery, kayaking, boxing, trampolining, skateboarding and skipping, we’ve got something for everyone. And the chance to learn from some of the absolute greats in those sports.
‘It doesn’t matter whether you’ve played it before, or never even heard of it, we want to share the joy of sport with as many families as we can - learning something new, spending quality family time together and making new friends.’
Coaches include golfer Hannah Bowen, world Thai boxing champion Rachael MacKenzie, Olympic sprinter Derek Redmond, Olympic rower Alan Campbell, England cricketer Ryan Sidebottom, world champion skateboarder Neil Danns and paralympic rowers Vicki and Tom Aggar.
Families camp together and also enjoy food, music, activities and evening entertainment.
Will and Caro, who have three teenage children, were married in Thornham church in 2003. For the past year they have been renovating a farmhouse near Brancaster. ‘It’s great to have been able to put our own stamp on a property that we know so well, and along a part of the coast where we already feel right at home,’ said Will.
He works for an artificial intelligence business and is involved with several charities which use sport to support children’s mental and physical health. He has completed fundraising expeditions around the world for charities including Norfolk-based Street Child which helps some of the world's poorest families. Will and Caro are also patrons of Borne, which funds research into premature birth.
‘Caro is a writer and blogger, mainly championing two causes that are both very personal to us: premature birth, due to the loss of our first son, Freddie, after he was born three months prematurely, and our journey through life with neurodiversity, based on our experiences with our daughter,’ said Will.
He is looking forward to spending more time in Norfolk where favourite places include Thornham beach. ‘It’s a gorgeous place to enjoy an early morning walk, when there’s still mist over the marsh,’ he said, but couldn’t resist adding: ‘Plus there’s always the risk that someone might slip over in the mud to add to the fun!’
Another favourite is a little to west. ‘Every time I play at Hunstanton Golf Club I stop and take a photo at the 16th hole where there’s a plaque commemorating Bob Taylor’s 1974 triple,' said Will. 'He got three holes in one, at the same hole on three consecutive days – and no-one's managed to match or beat that since. Though I do keep trying!’
Holkham Festival of Sport runs from August 11-14. Full details at festivalofsportuk.com
