We are proud at Old Bedians to be completely run by a wonderful group of volunteers who give up their time and effort to run the club and put everything in place for us all to enjoy our rugby. So it’s always satisfying when our volunteers are recognised for their efforts and this year we have three of the senior committee winning a Honda Volunteer Recognition Award from the RFU for their hard work.

Tom Manship has received recognition in the Unsung Hero Award category for his amazing efforts preparing matchday food for home and away teams during our fixtures at Millgate Lane, often shopping for supplies late on a Friday night, and then waking up early on Saturdays to get everything prepared, cooked and then served, all while playing a full 80 minutes of rugby in between! It has been hugely appreciated, thanks for a great effort Tom.

Isaac Gardner has received recognition in the Connecting the Community Award for the work he has put in coaching one of the Manchester University teams and regularly recruiting student players to participate in both training and matches at Old Bedians. This has not only been a great help to the club to bolster player numbers but has also been beneficial to the students themselves meeting brilliant new people and socialising outside of university. Thanks for your efforts Isaac, keep the recruitment going!

Tom Fuller has received recognition in the Game for All Award for his wonderful work as 2nd team captain welcoming new players and creating a fun, enjoyable and welcoming atmosphere for anyone who comes to play at Old Bedians, of any ability. Tom makes time for everyone irrespective of if they have been at the club for 5 minutes or 5 years, and helps new players quickly settle in to both the game and the club itself. Huge thanks for many years of great service Tom.

The work that Tom, Isaac and Tom have done has been hugely beneficial to the club and they are worthy of their recognition awards. On top of all of this, they are three very well thought of and well-liked members of our team and we feel extremely grateful and lucky to have them at Old Bedians.

Bravo gents.