Hornets buzzing with a number of awards
Telford Hornets Rugby Club had multiple reasons to be proud as they took home a number of awards from the North Midlands RFU Volunteer and Reward evening.
The club were named the North Midlands club of the year and Shropshire club of the year.
Club member Roger Bates was successful in the Senior Volunteer Category and James Hudson was rewarded for his work in the Junior Volunteer section.
Chairman Rob McGuire was eager to heap praise on the Hornets and in particularly the deserved recognition for Bates.
He said: "Roger must spend thousands of hours per year down the club. He works on the pitch all through the season and is constantly helping throughout the summer. It's very well deserved."
Bates was with the club three decades ago but left and rejoined five seasons ago and has made a big impact.
The proud chairman added: "He's great with all of the players. Most of them see him as a type of father figure at the club."
In securing the two club of the year gongs, McGuire was satisfied that all of the hard work over the last 12 months had been recognised.
With the help of funding from the RFU (Rugby Football Union) and several fundraising activities, the Hornets have improved several facilities at their base.
It includes the clubhouse, car parking and floodlights for training. They also held a successful Disability Tag Festival in May which impressed a host of the RFU members, according to McGuire.
With the help of sponsorship from phone company O2, the club are now hosting touch rugby sessions every Wednesday, perfect for beginners and those looking to socialise and improve on fitness.
The sessions are drawing to a close for winter, but McGuire is keen for them to get back up and running in March, after more than 100 players a week attended.
He added: "We've done some fantastic things over the last 12 months. We've spent around £130,000 of fundraising and grants in improving the club and it's helped hugely.
"Our festival was very successful. There were over 300 disabled children competing from as far away as Northern Ireland and Scotland.
"The touch rugby has been the biggest revelation. It's fun and fitness for anybody. Rugby can be daunting to get into but it helps introduce people."
Telford Hornet's second XV recently of six newcomers to the sport, who had never played before joining the sessions in the summer.
McGuire said: "We're very grateful to O2 and it's doing great work for our recruitment drive. It's the fun and relaxed element of it and we are gradually converting them into members and players."
