DEVOTED Rugby Town Guides and an enthusiastic art student have been honoured at the Warwickshire and Solihull Community and Voluntary Action (CAVA) Rugby Volunteer Awards.
The team of volunteer guides walked away with the Art, Culture and Heritage Group Award at a ceremony at the Benn Hall.
Warwickshire College student Sam Morris made it a double success for the council’s arts and heritage services at the awards after he was presented with the Inspirational Young Person Award.
As part of his art and design course, Sam volunteered to get involved with the preparations for Rugby Art Gallery and Museum’s Kapow – The Art of Making Comics and Film exhibition.
Such was his enthusiasm and dedication, Sam volunteered for 70 hours more than his course required and made a major creative contribution to the exhibition, which attracted nearly 10,000 visitors to the art gallery over the summer.
Sally Godden, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum manager, said: “Sam really made his mark on the Kapow exhibition, with his ideas and passion for the project making him a valued member of the team.
“It was great to watch Sam grow in confidence throughout his time volunteering with us and his CAVA award was richly deserved.
“The Art, Culture and Heritage Group Award was also a fitting reward for the Rugby Town Guides, who have devoted hundreds of hours to conducting our free tours.
“The expert knowledge each guide brings to the tours means even lifelong Rugby residents often learn new tales from the town’s history, and every guide has become a valued ambassador for the borough.”
The town guides were launched in 2015, when England hosted the Rugby World Cup and Rugby was granted ‘Proud Home’ status for the tournament by World Rugby.
Based at Rugby Visitor Centre, they lead tours of the town centre’s iconic buildings and landmarks, including the Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum, The Queen’s Gates at the entrance of The Close at Rugby School, the statue of Rupert Brooke, and the monument to Sir Frank Whittle.
Tours take place every Saturday from the spring through to the autumn, with tours set to take place until the end of October.
Visit www.therugbytown.co.uk/townguides for more information and to book a place on a tour.
Warwickshire and Solihull CAVA stages the annual awards to celebrate the work of volunteers in the borough, with prizes presented across a range of categories.
The organisation supports Rugby’s voluntary and community sector to deliver services for the borough’s communities. Visit www.wcava.org.uk for more information.
