Issue 90 | Page 29

2019 – 2020 , our first XV match day squad of 18 players was made up of on average of 15 home grown players .
WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURS TO BE A COMMUNITY CLUB ? Absolutely , we have over 60 local businesses that support the club financially and many of these , along with other community groups , use the Club facilities on a regular basis to either hold meetings , training sessions or other functions .
Our facilities are advertised locally as an open training centre , a hospitality venue , and we provide bespoke offers for weddings , birthdays and wakes . Included in our regular users are : a community rock choir , local weight watchers , community cinema and many other organisations using our facilities . The Wiltshire Police ,
the local REME Battalion and Corp , the NHS hold blood donor sessions , and the local council sometimes have meetings on site and a whole raft of local businesses also hire our facilities . 43 of our senior players are currently sponsored individually by local businesses , which hopefully gives a feel for how our club is established as part of the local community .
PLEASE FINISH OFF BY TELLING ME WHAT MAKES RWBRFC SUCH A GREAT CLUB TO BE PART OF ? It ’ s such a wonderful place to meet with like-minded people and make new friends . Initially , when playing , it helps with your physical and mental health and provides the environment for a fantastic social life that helps make memories . Volunteering for roles at the Club provides a discipline and routine . You can learn new skills and at the same time have some great fun . There are great networking opportunities and a club of our size , with nearly 900
members , provides a great support network .
During lockdown we ran a series of ‘ Health and Well-Being ’ workshops via zoom for a variety of groups within the club – for coaches to support the players , for parents to support their children and for individual members just to network with others in a similar situation . These were run professionally by ‘ JL Mindset Performance ’ and were very well attended and received . We look after each other and take pride in our position within the community .
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