Championship rugby club Richmond FC have joined The Czech Strong Girls project as finalists for the Rhino Grassroots Rugby Award for their community work during lockdown which included the delivery of 380 free meals for children across their local borough.
Headed up by Dom Palacio, the Richmond Community Department, the club ran campaigns in both spring and summer to deliver free meals every day during the lockdown and holiday months to local school children in addition to a wide range of other support offered to their local community. At the time, Dom said: “We firmly believe all children deserve access to free school meals throughout the holidays and we are extremely proud to be in a position to support those that need it most. This is not about politics or picking sides, it’s about doing the right thing at a challenging time and supporting those in our community who find themselves in the most vulnerable of situations.”
Receiving the nomination on behalf of Richmond FC, Dom said: “We are extremely proud to be nominated for the Rhino Grassroots Rugby Award. This nomination is fantastic recognition for our club and our army of volunteers who have been at the forefront of delivering our many community initiatives, including our free school meals programme and our food and collection points. Our thanks must also go to our club partner Community Group, our sponsors and suppliers, as well as our partner schools who have been hugely supportive throughout the year.”
Members of Richmond FC preparing meals for local children
Reg Clark, CEO of Rhino, said: “At a time when their local community really needed support, it was fantastic to see Richmond FC step up to the mark and give back to their community. They in many ways represent similar efforts many rugby clubs have given throughout the country. No club could have done more than Richmond has, however, and they are thoroughly deserving of this nomination.”
Richmond FC and The Czech Strong Girls are part of a four-strong shortlist with the next finalist set to be announced on 26th November, 2020.
Past Winners:
2015 TAG RUGBY TRUST (UK)
2016 KAMPUCHEA BALOPP (Cambodia)
2017 SKRUM (Eswatini/Swaziland)
2018 SHIBUYA INTERNATIONAL RUGBY CLUB (Japan)
2019 KHELO RUGBY (India)