Premiership team Sale Sharks will be bringing rugby to Stockport students with profound disabilities.

The ten-week programme will be run at Stockport charity Seashell Trust by Sale Sharks Community Trust in early 2018.

It is part of ‘In the Pack’ which has been a huge hit across the north west since it was launched in November 2016.

The programme is tailored for people who have additional and special needs, both physical and learning impairments, and aims to encourage people to become more active in an inclusive way.

Students at the Seashell Trust in Cheadle Hulme all have complex learning disabilities, including autism and communication disorders.

Stephen Pearson, Seashell’s CADS development officer, said: “Opportunities to partner with a club like Sale Sharks which has such a great community programme do not come along very often.

“It’s so important to provide new and diverse activities to stretch, challenge and motivate our children and young people. They can’t wait for them to return.”

First-team star George Nott, along with team-mates Jonny Leota, David Seymour and Alexander Tarus, have already visited excited youngsters from the Seashell Trust.

He said: “I’ve personally supported the Community Trust’s work in disability sport for three years now, so I’ve seen for myself what a difference rugby can make to peoples’ lives. We are all very much looking forward to the start of this programme.”

Sharks’ community trust inclusion officer Vicky Irwin said: “We are very pleased to work with Seashell Trust as part of ‘In the Pack’.

“Our coaches deliver a variety of activities, including tag rugby, wheelchair tag rugby, mixed ability rugby and walking rugby to people of all ages and abilities across the north west.

“Sale Sharks’ first team stars George Nott and Halani Aulika will continue their roles as Disability Ambassadors into the new year and will be joined by several volunteers from the Academy to deliver the ten-week Seashell Trust programme.”

The Seashell Trust logo also features on the Sale Sharks away shirt for the 2017/18 season.