Other winners at the event included Bath Rugby, which won the MBNA Innovation Award for its Women and Girls Programme and Bristol Rugby, which claimed the Land Rover Impact Award for its Inferno program, which re-engages young offenders with education, employment and sport. Saracens picked up the top award after the judges hailed the club's efforts to reach out to 75,000 people engaged over one year through 25 separate programmes and almost 27,000 hours of community work.
"The awards highlight the very best community work the Premiership Rugby clubs carry out on a daily basis," said Premiership Rugby CEO Mark McCafferty. "The time and effort dedicated to such programmes is admirable and their commitment exemplary. Clubs, together with players and partners, are producing impressive results, demonstrating the true value of such programmes."
Run in conjunction with the All Party Rugby Union Group, the Premiership Rugby Parliamentary Rugby Community Awards are sponsored by Aviva, Land Rover and MBNA and supported by media partner SportBusiness Group. Tony Cunningham, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby Union Group, said: "Our winners have truly showcased the potential of community programmes and set a stellar example to the wider sports business industry."
McCafferty and Cunningham were joined on the judging panel by SportBusiness International editorial director Kevin Roberts, Aviva sponsorship manager Nick Gibbs and Don Foster MP.
