A CAMP HILL Rugby Club member has been recognised for helping to transform the club’s fortunes away from the pitch.
Nigel Busby, Camp Hill’s chief operating officer, was nominated by the England RFU for the Mitsubishi Volunteer of the Year Award after helping to triple the club’s mini and junior membership through improving links with schools and staging community events.
Since 2014 the club has increased the number of young people aged five to 16 years old playing rugby from 120 to more than 350.
Through a series of community events organised by Camp Hill volunteers over the past season, the club has also raised nearly £6,500 for charities such as Cancer Research UK, OddBalls Testicular Cancer, Leukaemia Research Foundation, Tough Tommy’s Travels, Macmillan Cancer Support and the Royal British Legion.
Nigel has also helped forge links with Wasps Rugby Club, which has seen Camp Hill receive significant cashback incentives from the Aviva Premiership club for every Wasps match ticket they sell through their own channels.
Wasps coaches and first team players have also delivered training sessions for young people at Camp Hill’s Shirley-based training ground on Haslucks Green Road.
“Being nominated for this award is testament to the hard work of our team of dedicated volunteers,” said Busby.
“We have developed a real sense of community at the club amongst parents and players alike, so it would be fantastic if I was able to win this award on behalf of the whole team.
“Wasps have also played a huge part in connecting us with Birmingham schools that have received their Project Rugby initiative, which introduces young people that have never played rugby before to the sport.
“For a good portion of the season we have hosted 70 or more schoolchildren who were keen to carry on playing rugby after Wasps had gone into their schools.”
The Mitsubishi Volunteer of the Year Award is part of the Mitsubishi Motors Volunteer Recognition and is developed between Mitsubishi Motors and England Rugby.
The award is designed to recognise the 100,000 volunteers around the UK who operate at grassroots level in the country.
Busby is attending a regional final on Friday, June 15 where he will find out if he has made it to the national final at Twickenham on Friday, September 7.
He has also been nominated by Wasps into the Community Volunteer of the Year Achiever Award at the Premiership Rugby Community Awards, with the winners being announced on Wednesday, July 11.
