Rugby supremo Tony Smith's birthday ‘party’ for Africa

Jan 23 2009 by Neil Atkinson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HE’S celebrating his birthday tomorrow.

But rugby league boss Tony Smith will have his thoughts much further away than his home in Kirklees.

The former Huddersfield Giants head and now England coach is determined to help raise thousands of pounds to help orphans in Africa.

Smith, who will be 42 tomorrow, is determined to help raise £25,000 for the Yorkshire-based charity Helping Africa 100.

He has been appointed a patron of the charity, set up by Garrie Bolton and Margaret Robinson to pay for vital work in orphanages, children’s centres and nursing homes in Tanzania.

And tomorrow night, instead of celebrating his birthday with family and friends at his Birdsedge home, Smith will head a big fundraising event in Leeds.

He will be speaking to 160 people at Headingley to help raise money that the charity will be sending to Africa immediately.