The raffles at these lunches are always in aid of good causes, and the one before the last home fixture of the year allowed the club to give £1,000 to the crowdfunding appeal which will enable the parents of a young Isle of Wight player who recently broke his neck playing beach rugby to adapt their house to accommodate his disability.

The club plays a leading role in the local community and is fortunate to have nearly 200 volunteers.  There’s a professional team of two covering clubhouse management and driving funds from bookings of the club’s facilities when they are not needed for rugby purposes, such as wedding receptions, funeral wakes and hosting the Winchester ukulele band. Apart from a part-time bookkeeper, all other roles including grounds maintenance are covered by volunteers.

They have a women’s team and run a busy programme for age grade players, with a thriving boys’ academy and girls from U13 to U18 combining with Eastleigh to play matches.  And to make sure there are no barriers to anyone playing they run a second-hand kit shop for new players or those who may be in need.

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