England rugby star and World Cup winner Laura Keates has become a patron of Dentaid. Laura, who is a fourth-year dental student at the University of Birmingham, will be supporting the charity by volunteering at clinics, taking part in fundraising events and promoting Dentaid’s work.
Laura has more than 60 caps for England and was part of the World Cup winning side that beat Canada in the 2014 final. The team was named Team of the Year in the BBC’s prestigious Sports Personality awards, and the profile of the players and women’s rugby soared as a result of their success.
In addition to her dental studies, Laura is training hard in the hope of being selected for the next World Cup squad after the event was postponed until 2022. The England prop has also captained Worcester Warriors’ Women’s Allianz Premier 15s side and she has enjoyed huge success at club and country level.
“I’m really excited to announce that I will be joining the Dentaid team and am looking forward to being part of the fantastic work they do in helping to improve oral health both here in the UK and abroad,” said Laura. “The charity aims to ensure access to safe and sustainable dental care to those people that really need it and has an amazing effect on improving people’s quality of life.”
In the last year, Dentaid has seen demand for its services increase dramatically. The charity, which has two mobile dental units, has been asked to provide outreach dental clinics for refugees and asylum seekers, victims of domestic abuse and people affected by drug and alcohol addiction in addition to homeless communities across the UK. And, although its overseas volunteering trips have been postponed, Dentaid continues to support dentists around the world by providing portable equipment and funding outreach clinics in remote communities.
“We are delighted to have Laura join us a patron at this really busy and exciting time for Dentaid,” said events fundraising officer, Kelle Russell. “There’s also lots to look forward to in women’s rugby and it’s great to have Laura on our team.”