Cast UK do their bit for Widnes Vikings' talent supply chain

Cast UK have completed a kit sponsorship deal with Widnes St Maries Vikings, which has, particularly in its previous guise, been recognised as a prodigious feeder club for the Superleague side Widnes Vikings RLFC. Widnes St Maries was an open-age community club founded in 1937 by a school headmaster and his pupils. They competed in the local leagues where they discovered and developed local talent, and many of the club’s members went on to cut it in the professional game – indeed, the selling of such players by the fledgling Widnes RLFC actually helped the club survive and, eventually, prosper. In June 2012, however, the club forged a partnership with Widnes Vikings whereby their name changed to St Maries Vikings and their home fixtures would be played at the hallowed turf of the Stobart Stadium. Cast UK is a Manchester-based recruitment consultancy that deals solely with the supply chain, logistics and procurement sectors at manager and director levels. Their founders and subsequent consultants all come from these backgrounds, a situation that offers clients and candidates the assurance that their needs are being addressed by experts, not general recruiters. Gary Robinson, Cast UK Logistics Managing Director, is proud of the affiliation with St Maries. “To read about St Maries’ illustrious history is quite humbling, and knowing they are in good hands as part of the Vikings is reassuring,” he said. “That Cast UK is playing its part in maintaining their funding gives me a real lift, and I hope their continued success gives inspiration to a generation of young people. We have a number of clients based around Widnes, Runcorn and South Liverpool, so it’s great to strengthen our links with the area.” St Maries Vikings also has teams in the under-14s and under-11s categories. The “Mini Vikings” was created for 5–7-year-old boys and girls, and visits schools in the areapromoting fitness and early sporting development. More details can be found at www.widnesvikings.co.uk