Trailblazing Butt leads schools literacy programme

Over 1,000 West Yorkshire primary school pupils have learnt the fascinating history of the British Asian Rugby Association and the impact of one of its founders Dr Ikram Butt over the last two months.

As part of the ‘Beyond the Try Line - Celebrating Community Heritage In Rugby’ project to mark 20 years since the formation of BARA, schools programme Literacy Kicks developed a bespoke writing workshop where children produced their own newspaper articles on the subject.

Pupils in Bradford, Dewsbury and Halifax discovered the story behind Butt becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to represent England at either code of rugby in 1995, as well as fellow trailblazer Manjinder Nagra, who became the first Sikh woman to play for England when she represented England Students RU.

They also looked at the creation of BARA by Butt and amateur international Junaid Malik in 2004, before compiling their own written pieces.

Butt - who played for Leeds, Featherstone, London Broncos, Huddersfield and Hunslet during a career that notched over 200 professional appearances and 75 tries - was present in class to share stories of his history-making career.

Former Elland stand-off Malik, ex-Wakefield Trinity scholarship player Hussain Hassan and current Halifax Panthers three-quarter Nimrah Gul also visited schools as part of the project, which was featured on ITV Calendar this week.

The project was made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Butt believes its impact has been wide-ranging.

He explained: “Seeing over 1,000 young people engage with the heritage of the British Asian Rugby Association and our 20 year journey has been incredibly powerful.

“This project is about preserving and sharing stories that have too often been overlooked, while helping young people understand the role their communities have played in shaping the game.

“Heritage is not just about the past, it’s about inspiring the future. For many pupils, this is the first time they’ve seen their own identities reflected in rugby’s history.

“If they leave believing they belong in the sport and can achieve something they once thought was out of reach, then we’ve made a lasting impact.

“Working with Literacy Kicks has brought this heritage to life in a creative and meaningful way, ensuring these stories are not only remembered, but carried forward by the next generation. We’re grateful for the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund in making this possible.”

Gugsy Ahmed, the head teacher at Halifax school Parkinson Lane who took part in the project, saw its impacts first hand.

He said: “Literacy Kicks delivered an exciting writing workshop and the children were actively engaged by the sporting stars that came in and supported the workshop.

“What made this all the more poignant was the rugby stars had much to do with the children’s cultural heritage. I’m sure we will see a renewed vigour in the sport when we next ‘tackle’ it.

“It was great to have the expertise in journalism and rugby present first hand.”

Literacy Kicks founder Gareth Walker added: “It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of the Beyond the Try Line heritage project.

“As soon as Ikram approached us about creating a lesson on the history of BARA and his own story I knew how impactful it would be in classrooms and that certainly proved to be the case.

“Having Ikram play an active role in the lessons and outline his journey to pupils added an extra dimension, alongside other key figures from the Asian rugby league community.

“Every single one of the schools we visited produced some outstanding writing to perfectly capture what is an inspirational sporting story.”