For the month of June, GBWR is recognising Penrith Pumas as our Club of the Month.
Volunteers are the backbone of every club. Running a club to be sustainable let alone growing a club takes a huge amount of dedication and commitment from volunteers. Penrith Pumas are leading by example and have had a fantastic year of growth all around.
Within the space of a year (June 2022 – June 2023), Penrith Pumas have raised an astonishing £95,000, including their most recent win of £59,072 for the Peoples Project Award. This funding in particular was awarded following a two-week public vote and within that time Megan (Managing Director at Penrith Pumas) and the team spent countless hours promoting the club at supermarkets, through online platforms and spreading awareness with partners, allies and stakeholders. This is just one example of how the club is going above and beyond. A full read-up on the clubs incredible achievement can be found here Winners – Penrith Pumas (Promoting Unbelievable Mental Attitude) – Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (gbwr.org.uk)
Penrith Pumas believe that each and every volunteer and member of the club should be valued for their hard work and dedication. In 2022, captain Matty Thicke was awarded the “Positive Role Model of the Year” award within the Diverse Cumbria Awards alongside fellow teammate Steven Jack who received a “Special Mention” and was highly commended by the judges for his commitment to fundraising. Not only have the club, volunteers and members been recognised for their dedication to the sport, but Byron-Lee Durkin White, Head Coach at Penrith Pumas was also a finalist for the UK Coaching Community Coach of the Year (Adults). The UK Coaching Awards shortlist only a select few finalists from across the nation for each award, therefore, to be shortlisted is a true testament to Byron’s commitment and dedication to the sport and his club.
The club pride themselves on being a welcoming club for all and encourages players to get involved in tournaments and social occasions. This positive atmosphere and ethos has resulted in the recruitment of new members. The club have recently had seven new classifiable WR5s players and three new volunteers join the club.
In addition to the clubs thriving accomplishments, Megan has thrown herself into the world of Wheelchair Rugby outside of her club role. Megan shared:
“I’m continuing my officiating journey, attending as many tournament weekends as possible to continue learning, developing my skills. I was down at Euro’s, thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience! What an incredible event, my top highlights assisting grassroot club players onto the field with team flags & being part of the medal bearing ceremony. However, just being a part of the field of play to ensure the whole event ran smoothly, all games begun on time and going above and beyond to make a wonderful and enjoyable experience for all the spectators and those watching online at home.”
Well done Penrith, keep up the good work!
Penrith Pumas are always on the look out for new players or volunteers, so if you have an interest in joining the club check out their website Penrith Pumas – Home
