Thursday 5 August 2021 saw rugby legend Joe Marler visit Steam Wine Bar for the annual Dream Steam Social in aid of our Nightingale Fund.

The evening was an opportunity for Reigatians to socialise following a long period in the wilderness. Equally as important as this, the event helped raise an incredible £13,000 for the Nightingale Fund, launched during the pandemic to provide bursarial support for families of NHS key workers and the next generation of NHS heroes. Thank you to all those who dug deep to support the event and wore their favourite rugby jerseys!

Widely regarded as rugby royalty, Joe has played 72 times for England, 220+ matches for Quins and toured New Zealand in 2017 as part of the British & Irish Lions squad. He is one of the busiest rugby personalities in the game, so we were thrilled to gain his support for the night. Fresh from his Man of the Match performance in the Gallagher Premiership final (where Quins overcame Exeter Chiefs in a thrilling comeback), Joe had been granted some delayed paternity leave following the birth of his fourth child so was able to relax and enjoy the night without the fear of pre-season training the next day!

Not once to mince his words, Joe gave the audience an honest and eye opening insight into his time at Quins, stories of scars being healed by butter (don’t ask), on field battles with Alun Wyn Jones, awful clowns and even his own personal struggles around mental health. Joe also kindly donated a signed 2017 Lions jersey to the auction which, unsurprisingly, drew the most interest on the evening and was eventually sold for £2200!

Our brilliant host as ever was Stephen Chenery (RGS ’87) who kept the evening running smoothly by keeping Joe in check, facilitating the heads and tails and ensuring that all Reigatians were happily fed and watered.

Finally, our huge thanks go to Tom Holland (RGS ’06) and his company *Acquire for being headline sponsors of the evening. Acquire is a global performance marketing agency and renowned leader in the affiliate marketing space. They work closely with advertisers to strategise, optimise and deliver successful international campaigns. Thank you Tom for all your terrific support.

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