Latest news with #HondaVolunteeroftheYearAwards
South Wales Argus
08-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Local rugby volunteer 'overwhelmed' after award win
Rebecca Scanlon-Brown of Minchinhampton RFC has been honoured at the Honda Volunteer of the Year Awards in the 'Game for All' category following her efforts in growing girls' and women's rugby at the club. Over the past two years, Becky has helped the girls' section of the club grow from just a handful of players to over 50 active participants. And despite being the one to get the nod, Becky was quick to hail the impact of all the volunteers at Minchinhampton. 'It's really lovely,' she said. 'I don't do it for the recognition, I do it because I love it, because the girls love playing. 'It's great to have been chosen but it is a little bit overwhelming for me because I know of all the great jobs other people do. 'After all, I can't do what I do without the coaches, without the referees, without the families or without the other volunteers at the club. It really is a team effort.' Becky (second from the right) with Mike Webb and Alex Norman, coaches at Minchinhampton RFC and Red Rose Mackenzie Carson (Image: Becky Scanlon-Brown)The Honda Volunteer of the Year awards are part of the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme which provides a platform to recognise the volunteers who make up such an integral part of the game. The awards recognise those who have had a major impact in their clubs and communities and demonstrated their commitment to the game over the past 12 months. Becky first felt inspired to get involved after realising that her daughter might not have the opportunity to play the game at secondary school age without there being a girls' team to play for. Since then, Becky, whose full-time job is as a senior customer development manager for Mondelez, owners of Cadbury, has been an instrumental figure at the club and spearheaded a range of different projects and initiatives. They include the implementation of the Cotswold Lionesses Hub, a collaboration between Minchinhampton, Cirencester and Faringdon rugby clubs which provides over 120 girls with the opportunity to access rugby in a structured and supportive environment, enrichment trips and finding creative ways to increase retention rates and help players through various personal challenges. 'The girls are phenomenal,' Scanlon-Brown continued. 'They reward each other, and they see the value of playing together in a team. 'We have a number of players within our team with neurodiverse traits too and we celebrate each other and their superpower. I'm so proud of all the girls. 'One day, it would be wonderful to say that this team has been able to produce somebody that has gone on to make their passion into a career. That would be amazing, and it would be great to have that legacy.' Volunteers are the backbone of grassroots rugby in England. If you'd like to get involved and make a difference at your community club, visit:
South Wales Argus
08-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Volunteer to use award as platform for women and girls' rugby
Emily Dean has been recognised in the 'Connecting the Community' category at the Honda Volunteer of the Year Awards, which celebrate those who have had a major impact in their clubs and communities and demonstrated their commitment to the game. Dean has been fundamental in growing opportunities for female players of all ages at Driffield, organising regular fixtures for girls' teams and fostering a growing relationship with the Women's Institute to make the club more approachable. 'When I took [the volunteering] on, I didn't expect to be recognised for it, but it is a platform that allows other clubs to see what is possible,' she said. 'It gives you the opportunity to say, making rugby more community based rather than just being a rugby club has worked, and it is working really well. It gives us a platform to shout about that. 'I love what rugby has given me. A team sport like rugby gives you so much more than the team aspect. You walk into a club and you are a part of a family automatically. 'When you get the opportunity to share that with other clubs and with other women, that's something that I feel very passionately about. It's given me so much more than just a team sport.' Dean was driven to start a now flourishing girls' section in order to ensure the women's team could continue running long into the future. It means that what was formerly a male-oriented community at the rugby club has become an inclusive space that is now promoting opportunity for all through sport. Yorkshire seal the Gill Burns Women's County Championship division 1! 🔥 June 21, 2025 'We wanted to future proof the women's game,' Dean added. 'We had enough for a team when we started, but it was obvious to me that we didn't have anyone coming through. 'The girls could play up to under-11s, but then they had nothing in the juniors, so we didn't want to lose them. 'We started the girls' section, and we have pulled players from all over. We've built such a good pathway. 'We had two girls from under-18 picked for PDG (Player Development Groups) and two girls at under-16. They're growing the game themselves because they're showing the younger girls that this can happen for you.' Such is the success of the club, Driffield now make sure they can play competitive matches by taking additional players to lend to the opposition. Dean has also ensured there is a female presence across the whole club by bringing the Women's Institute on board to build a community at the club that extends off the pitch to volunteers and supporters. 'When you have put multiple people together, you can come up with so many more ideas. They've had lunches, they've had dance classes and there's things in the pipeline to be part of a breast cancer awareness afternoon tea in August,' added Dean. 'We noticed that we haven't got many women within the club who are over a certain age, but actually through increasing that footfall, some of them have come and watched us play. 'We've also worked with a Syrian refugee group through the WI. During half term, they came with their children, and we had a group of 20 outside playing a game of football together even though they didn't necessarily understand each other's language. It's increasing the depth of community.' Volunteers are the backbone of grassroots rugby in England. If you'd like to get involved and make a difference at your community club, visit:
Powys County Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Local rugby volunteer 'overwhelmed' after award win
A volunteer at a Gloucestershire rugby club admitted to feeling 'overwhelmed' after being recognised for her efforts to make the game more inclusive. Rebecca Scanlon-Brown of Minchinhampton RFC has been honoured at the Honda Volunteer of the Year Awards in the 'Game for All' category following her efforts in growing girls' and women's rugby at the club. Over the past two years, Becky has helped the girls' section of the club grow from just a handful of players to over 50 active participants. And despite being the one to get the nod, Becky was quick to hail the impact of all the volunteers at Minchinhampton. 'It's really lovely,' she said. 'I don't do it for the recognition, I do it because I love it, because the girls love playing. 'It's great to have been chosen but it is a little bit overwhelming for me because I know of all the great jobs other people do. 'After all, I can't do what I do without the coaches, without the referees, without the families or without the other volunteers at the club. It really is a team effort.' The Honda Volunteer of the Year awards are part of the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme which provides a platform to recognise the volunteers who make up such an integral part of the game. The awards recognise those who have had a major impact in their clubs and communities and demonstrated their commitment to the game over the past 12 months. Becky first felt inspired to get involved after realising that her daughter might not have the opportunity to play the game at secondary school age without there being a girls' team to play for. Since then, Becky, whose full-time job is as a senior customer development manager for Mondelez, owners of Cadbury, has been an instrumental figure at the club and spearheaded a range of different projects and initiatives. They include the implementation of the Cotswold Lionesses Hub, a collaboration between Minchinhampton, Cirencester and Faringdon rugby clubs which provides over 120 girls with the opportunity to access rugby in a structured and supportive environment, enrichment trips and finding creative ways to increase retention rates and help players through various personal challenges. 'The girls are phenomenal,' Scanlon-Brown continued. 'They reward each other, and they see the value of playing together in a team. 'We have a number of players within our team with neurodiverse traits too and we celebrate each other and their superpower. I'm so proud of all the girls. 'One day, it would be wonderful to say that this team has been able to produce somebody that has gone on to make their passion into a career. That would be amazing, and it would be great to have that legacy.'
