Heart of Wales 7s Special: Jordan & The Flaming Unicorns on Rugby, Community & Mental Health
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The Rugby Through the Leagues podcast welcomes Jordan, organiser of Heart of Wales 7s, and Stu from The Flaming Unicorns / Tough Enough To Care, to talk rugby, community and mental health.
Jordan charts the tournament's growth from 16 men's teams to an 11-year event drawing around 1,500 people — with the goal of 6,000 — and the entertainment that's grown with it: Flamingo Bingo, boxing, netball, charity matches and the famous naked run (which may hit 250–300 runners). He opens up on how it all came together: contacts, hard-won logistics lessons, a 10-person core crew, COVID refunds, and a relentless focus on retention, safety and experience.
Stu shares how The Flaming Unicorns began as a charity match supporting mental health after losing two friends to suicide — and how their distinctive branding creates safe spaces for conversations at rugby clubs, with Heart of Wales giving them a major platform alongside celebrity guests and the growth of women's rugby.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Naked Run Cold Open
00:12 Meet the Guests
01:03 Heart of Wales Origins
02:41 Growing Past Covid
04:57 Behind the Scenes Crew
07:19 Entertainment & Traditions
10:38 Flaming Unicorns Join In
12:39 Tough Enough To Care Story
16:00 Why the Partnership Works
18:19 Rugby Stars & Welsh Sevens
22:06 Logistics Lessons & Burnout
26:57 Post-Event Rituals
31:02 Two-Week Build Plan
31:39 Site Setup Week
33:32 Rugby Star Ringers
36:03 Women's Night Magic
39:35 Growing Organically
42:48 Welsh Sevens Series
46:17 Sevens Media Value
49:23 New Format Ideas
52:14 Unicorns Mission
57:36 Final Messages
🏉 Heart of Wales 7s: heartofwales7s.co.uk
💚 This episode discusses mental health and suicide. If you're struggling, you don't have to face it alone — in the UK & Ireland you can call Samaritans free, day or night, on 116 123. Find out more about Tough Enough To Care at toughenoughtocare.help.
🎧 Listen & follow: Spotify · Apple Podcasts · YouTube (youtube.com/@RugbyTTL) · rugbyttl.com
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