Spectrum Project Shortlisted For Prestigious Award

Bristol Rugby’s Spectrum Project has helped people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities throughout Greater Bristol take part in sport, leisure and personal development within school settings and regular curriculum time.

Premiership Rugby’s BREAKTHRU Award applauds programmes and activities that champion social change within both communities and individuals.

RECOGNITION: A wheelchair rugby session organised by SPECTRUM Project

The news comes just two days after the Bristol Rugby Community Foundation’s EAGLE Project was shortlisted for the prestigious PLAY award by Premiership Rugby.

The judging panel for the BreakThru award chaired by Lydia Good, BREAKTHRU – Development Manager, Premiership Rugby included Elizabeth Tydeman, Public Health England, Emily Cramp, The Movember Foundation, Olly Dawson, Comic Relief and Tom Harrison, Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham.

The judges were able to create a shortlist of three programmes all doing their best to implement social change – Saracens’ ‘Sarries RFC’, Bristol Rugby’s Spectrum Project and Gloucester Rugby’s FAIR Play Rugby.

The full shortlist for the BreakThru award is:

• Bristol Rugby’s Spectrum Project
• Gloucester Rugby’s FAIR Play Rugby
• Saracens’ Sarries RFC

Tom Harrison, Director of Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham, was part of the panel charged with choosing a winner, which is set to be revealed on July 7. 

“There was some extremely high quality candidates this year for the BREAKTHRU award, looking at different sorts of projects focussing on a variety of issues, whether they be educational, social change or health benefit,” he said.

 “It was great to see such a diverse range of different projects that these clubs were running alongside their local communities and partners which really gave a fantastic overview of the potential for Premiership Rugby clubs to make a real impact within their local communities.”

Harrison insisted that what separated Bristol, Saracens and Gloucester from the rest, was the longevity they could offer. 

He said: “There was a certain amount of appeal of innovative programmes that looked at social programmes in a different way and then there was the element of sustainability. We picked those going to have longer term and wider impact in the future.”

The winner of the award will be announced on Thursday 7 July at the illustrious Premiership Rugby Parliamentary Community Awards at the Terrace Pavilion, House of Commons, and on Twitter via the @premrugby account.