Last week, the trio of Newcastle Falcons stars came together to show their support for South Shields family entertainment centre, The Dunes, as it prepares to throw opens its doors once again and welcome back families for more fun-filled days after its toughest ever year.
Captain Mark Wilson and current Scotland international Gary Graham were joined by former England fly half Toby Flood to engage virtually with employees and showcase some of the facilities at The Dunes, with the players putting the ten-pin bowling equipment through its paces on the pitch at Kingston Park.
Through its partnership with Premiership Rugby and its "Tackling Tomorrow Together" initiative, Gallagher is bringing to life and promoting the stories of six UK businesses and a regional children's charity that have shown real resilience, tenacity and pioneering spirit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the campaign, The Dunes was paired with the North East's top rugby union club, Newcastle Falcons, to help give the firm an extra boost during after an exceedingly tough year.
As a leisure facility and due to government restrictions, The Dunes was forced to close the doors on its giant soft play area, bowling alley and amusement arcade back in March 2020, with extremely limited opportunities to open since. When they were able to open temporarily last August, Dunes demonstrated their resilience and ability to adapt by installing COVID-19 control measures such as safety screens and hand sanitiser stations throughout the building to keep staff and customers safe, costing them thousands of pounds at a challenging financial time.
This month the Dunes is set to open again after the latest lockdown. In the interim, Gallagher has been assisting with its business continuity plans and shaping a robust insurance and risk management approach to help the business transition out of lockdown and towards normal trading conditions.
Kenneth Reader, Managing Director of The Dunes, said:
"When we closed our doors last March, we had no idea when we would be able to open again. The last 12 months have been the toughest ever for The Dunes as we have had very little opportunity to trade even during our usually packed summer months."
"The whole team is super excited at the prospect of finally throwing back open our doors this month to welcome in families and friends for some much-needed fun, and we're grateful for the ongoing support Gallagher has provided us throughout this tricky situation. It was great to see the Newcastle Falcons players getting stuck in with some of our facilities and we look forward to being able to watch the team play at Kingston Park in the not-too-distant future."
As part of the "Tackling Tomorrow Together" campaign, The Dunes will be promoted on match day at Newcastle Falcons when COVID allows, with the local business benefiting from increased exposure off the back of the in-stadium advertising. Employees from the business will also have the chance to attend a game to support Mark, Gary, and Toby from the stands.
In addition to the rugby-related package, Gallagher will continue to offer specialist broking advice and support to The Dunes.
