Newbury school to raffle England jersey for charity

An England rugby jersey which was worn by outside centre Jonathan Joseph for the final Six Nations match against France on Saturday is to be raffled for charity at St Bartholomew’s School today.

The official polo shirt, which has been signed by most of the England squad, will be raffled for West Berkshire Mencap after Jonathan’s younger brother William, a Year 8 student at the school, asked for it to be put to raffle.

William said: “The atmosphere at Twickenham was amazing and I was cheering on the England team.

“The shirt is a little big on me, but I am so proud to be able to donate it to raise money for Mencap.”

William’s tutor Mrs Linda Eastman said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to help others in our community and our thanks go to Jonathan’s generosity and William’s kind- hearted idea. Saturday’s match was a thrilling end to the Six Nations series and the shirt even bears some splashes of food and drink from the after-party at Twickenham.”

Tickets are on sale for the jersey at £1 each and members of the local community can buy them at the school reception, with the final draw taking place at a school assembly today.