High Wycombe Rugby Club in Buckinghamshire and Woodbridge Rugby Club in Suffolk have both won £5,000 worth of materials supplied by Travis Perkins to give their clubhouses a makeover.
More than 50 rugby clubs entered the competition organised to mark the 25th anniversary of the partnership between Travis Perkins and Northampton Saints Rugby Club and the merchant's sponsorship of the Gallagher PREM rugby side. Entrants were asked to explain how they would use the materials as part of the application process.
Both winning clubs plan to use the materials to develop their facilities and provide other essential improvements to their clubhouses.
As part of the competition, a junior team from both clubs was invited to the Northampton Saints' High Performance Centre for a training session with first-team stars George Hendy and Craig Wright.
Ally Wong, Group Head of Marketing at Travis Perkins, explained: "We were overwhelmed by the number of entries we received for the clubhouse renovation competition.
"Selecting the winners was difficult as there were many worthy entries, but these two clubs truly deserved it. They were chosen not only for the incredible work they do supporting grassroots rugby, but also for the positive impact they have on the wider communities in the vicinity.
"It is a privilege for us as a business to donate these materials, knowing they will make such a difference.
"To top it all off, partnering with Northampton Saints to give these youngsters the chance to train alongside first-team players was a special experience - one I'm certain those children will treasure for years."
Claire Cole, Junior Chair at Woodbridge Rugby Club, said: "We cannot tell you how grateful we are to Travis Perkins for this support.
"Over the last three years, we have launched and developed our girls' section but we really need to make changes to our showers and changing rooms to ensure they get the same privacy as the boys.
"Wanting to do this and being able to do it are completely different things and the support from Travis Perkins is going to enable us to do this.
"Initiatives like this are essential for grassroots rugby clubs and the chance for our youngsters to have a training session with some of the Northampton Saints first team players was brilliant.
"In addition to the incredibly generous donation of materials from Travis Perkins we are also appealing to our local community and members. Any trades who would like to get involved and really make a difference to their local rugby club would be welcome."
Michael Fradgley, Junior Chair at High Wycombe Rugby Club, added: "One of our junior parents saw the competition in the local paper and as soon as we saw it, we knew it was something we were going to enter.
"It is a great initiative from the Northampton Saints and Travis Perkins, both ourselves and Woodbridge are going to benefit from it in a massive way.
"Our clubhouse is from the 1960s and the kitchen is in need of urgent repairs. It not only serves our rugby clubs but is also a hub for the local community, with scouts and guides, both of which are also set to benefit from the updated facilities.
"The boys who were lucky enough to go to Northampton Saints' High Performance Centre for the training session are still talking about it now - it was a fantastic evening."
