England women's rugby union star Rachael Burford will be visiting Diss Rugby Club this weekend to help air cadets enjoy a sporting tournament.

The 2014 World Cup winner will be the star guest at the Sportivate Air Cadet Cup at the home of Diss Rugby Club on Sunday in her capacity as a Sport England Sporting Champion.

The event will take place from 10am at the club's ground at Bellrope Lane in Roydon and will see 24 air cadet squadrons from Norfolk and Suffolk go head to head in a touch rugby competition.

It will be the fifth annual Sportivate Air Cadet Cup and all cadets have had five weeks of coaching at their local rugby clubs.

Sportivate is a national Olympic and Paralympic legacy initiative that gives 11 to 25-year-olds free coaching in a new sport and then helps them find low cost ways to continue.

Miss Burford, 29 and who is a centre and has amassed 56 England caps, said: 'I'm really looking forward to returning to the Sportivate Air Cadet Cup at Diss Rugby Club.

'I cannot wait to encourage the young people and share my experience of proudly representing England. Sportivate is a fantastic way of getting young people into sport and that is something I am really passionate about.

'I believe that as a Sport England Sporting Champion I can inspire everyone in attendance to raise their aspirations of what they can achieve and motivate them to be the very best versions of themselves that they can be.'

The event is happening thanks to contributions from Active Norfolk and Suffolk Sport, who lead the Sportivate programme on behalf of Sport England in the area.

England Rugby, the national governing body for Rugby Union, is also supporting the project.

Jayne Molyneux, the strategic lead for youth at Sport England, said: 'It is great to see Rachael helping to inspire young people taking part in Sportivate to carry on participating in a sport they may never have tried before.

'Our Sportivate programme is all about listening to young people and putting on taster sessions in a sport of their choice to help them make the step into community sport and set them on the path to creating a sporting habit for life.'

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