Warriors HITZ Ambassador Chelsea Parker was crowned Young Achiever of the Year at Thursday’s Premiership Rugby Parliamentary Community Awards ceremony, staged at the House of Commons.
The prize seeks to reward a young participant who has ‘made the most’ from one of Premiership Rugby’s initiatives, and the Movember Foundation’s Emily Cramp believes Parker has done just that.
She said: “Chelsea has had to overcome some very serious obstacles in a short space of time, and the huge progress she has made makes her the perfect recipient.
“She made some bad choices early on but she has since shown she is willing to learn from those and also teach others not to follow those paths, which is a major accomplishment.”
Julie Elliott, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Rugby Union Group, insisted the outstanding work carried out by all 12 Premiership Rugby clubs is making a huge difference in their local communities.
The MP for Sunderland Central was speaking as participants across England were being honoured at the glittering awards event on Thursday.
Elliott tipped her cap to all the winners and the schemes themselves for helping participants reach new heights both on and off the rugby pitch.
She added: “The diversity, reach and impact of Premiership Rugby’s community programming is superb.
“I applaud the work the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs do with their local communities and disadvantaged groups.
“I also want to highlight the volunteers and young people who have been recognised in these awards for their efforts and achievements.
“The Premiership Rugby Parliamentary Community Awards celebrate how professional rugby is a positive force for good, impacting the lives of 310,000 participants globally each year through rugby participation and personal development. Rugby is truly changing lives.”
Now in their 11th year, the awards celebrate the wide range of development work that the Premiership Rugby clubs deliver locally through ground-breaking schemes such as Aviva Tackling Numbers, HITZ, On The Front Foot, Rugby 4 All, Something To Chew On, Move Like A Pro and Urban Rugby Squad.
From sports participation to education, health and social inclusion, Premiership Rugby is using rugby to change lives and tackle some of England's most challenging agendas.
Premiership Rugby Parliamentary Community Awards winners:
Young Achiever of the Year award – Chelsea Parker, Worcester Warriors
Volunteer of the Year award – Nicole Talbot, Gloucester Rugby
PLAY award – Bristol Rugby’s Eagle Project
BreakThru award – Saracens’ Sarrie's RFC programme