Rugby star supports community awards
Tom Dunn has thrown his front-row weight behind the 2018 Bath Sports Awards. The Bath Rugby hooker is a fine example of the importance of grassroots sport and the foundations they put in place. As a youngster, he played for Chippenham RFC before moving through the ranks of the Blue, Black and White academy. He had to bide his time to break into the first team; finally getting his chance to prove his mettle when Todd Blackadder arrived as director of rugby in 2016. Since then Dunn has earned two contract extensions. Dunn said: “Grassroots sports clubs are so important – they develop you both mentally and physically, they broaden your horizons, help you meet like-minded people and give you the confidence to really believe in yourself. “In my experience, they are also the first stepping-stone to a successful career in sport. You’ll struggle to meet anyone in this game that didn’t start at a local club around the corner from their house. “My club was Chippenham RFC and I’ve got hugely fond memories from my time there, and they are absolutely part of the reason why I am, where I am today.” As ever, there are nine categories in the Bath Sports Awards for teams and individuals from in and around the city. They are Sports Personality of the Year; Young Sports Personality of the Year; Senior Team of the Year; Junior Team of the Year; Coach of the Year; Outstanding Services to Sport in Bath; Disability Sports Performer of the Year; Community Club of the Year and Professional Sports Personality of the Year. The title sponsor for this year’s awards is Stadium for Bath – the body made up of Bath Rugby, Bath Rugby Foundation and Arena 1865, working together to deliver a new stadium at the Rec. Dunn has been recognised for the work he has done with the Foundation and was nominated for the Aviva Community Player of the Year award in 2015. The 25-year-old added: “I volunteer for the Bath Rugby Foundation and support community programmes like Hitz. They make a real difference to young people’s lives and I’m really proud to be part of that. “We desperately need to help people to get out there and try new sports. To do this we need to spread awareness of how to get involved and what is going on locally, but we also need to break down the biggest barrier of all and that is getting people to believe in themselves and having the confidence to give it a try in the first place.” Platinum Motor Group is sponsoring the Professional Sports Personality of the Year award for the second year. Bath Ales is sponsoring the Outstanding Services award and Assured Mobility is behind the Disability Sports Performer category. The awards ceremony will be held at The Assembly Rooms on Bennett Street, on the night of Tuesday, November 20. Esteemed broadcaster John Inverdale will once again be our host. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, September 4. To submit an entry and for more information, visit www.bathsportsawards.co.uk.