THE Cotswolds Lionesses are the latest club to be nominated for a Stroud News and Journal Community Award.

The Lionesses are the result of a merger into a single hub providing games and coaching for girls.

They have been nominated in the Sports Team or Club of the year by Carmel Ponsford.

She said in her nomination: "Five rugby clubs have merged into a hub to give girls aged 12-18 the opportunity to play rugby as the clubs can’t field teams individually.

"There are coaches and volunteers from each club that rotate training so that everyone has equal travel.

"Without the coaches at each club coming together, none of these girls would be playing anymore as the opportunities aren’t as widely available for girls.

"Four age groups of girls (u12,14,16&18) have all played there first games of rugby Each age group is now successfully competing in matches (not just losing which they did at the start)

"The girls train together at least once a week in five different locations on a rotation.

"The girls now socialise with each other outside of rugby, relationships have formed on and off the pitch.

"The volunteers from each club have successfully kept girls rugby alive.

"New girls have joined that had never played before and now enjoying the game

"Three girls from this set up successfully made the Gloucestershire county squads for u16s."

Nominations are still being sought in a whole range of areas for the Stroud Community Awards.

If you would like to nominate some please visit stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/communityawards2023/