Bo'ness Rugby Club members feel a sense of belonging at last thanks to new Crash Den

This month, the club have officially opened their new ‘Crash Den’ storage space.

The Crash Den is a 40ft storage container and is the first piece of infrastructure owned by the club, finally allowing them to feel “a sense of belonging”.

The club received £3,500 in funding from Scottish Rugby’s Kick Start grant to invest into equipment and storage solutions, which included the purchase of the container.

Looking to further engage their members and community, the club decided to launch a creative competition for young children to contribute to the internal design of the Crash Den.

“We really wanted our younger members to get excited and be involved in the space,” said club president Wendy Clydesdale.

“Children from the local community were asked to submit designs which capture Scottish Rugby’s values of Leadership, Achievement, Enjoyment, Engagement and Respect.

“The creativity and imagination they all showed with their designs was fantastic! We hope that as these kids progress their journey with the club, they’ll be able to look back and be able to say: ‘I did that’, ‘that’s my drawing’ and feel that deep-rooted connection to the club.

“The volunteers who have run this project have done an incredible job.”

Scottish Rugby Academy coach Chris Laidlaw attended the grand opening, training mini and midis players before taking part in the ribbon cutting ceremony.

“It was a privilege to be part of the opening of Bo’ness’ Crash Den and see this new space bring a sense of belonging to the whole club”, said Laidlaw.

“There are so many enthusiastic volunteers involved at the club and they are passionate about inspiring the young players to have a love for the sport.

"The club seem to be at the heart of their community with lots of kids and adults coming along, and it was fantastic to see that.”

Steve Turnbull, Director of the Caledonian Midlands region at Scottish Rugby, said: “Many congratulations from everyone at Scottish Rugby to Bo’ness Rugby Club as they reach this significant milestone in their journey.

“Over the last 10 years, the club have worked tirelessly to embed themselves into the local community and create positive experiences in sport for young people, and I have no doubt their new Crash Den will further enhance everything they do.

"I hope everyone at the club can enjoy and appreciate the new space, and I wish them every bit of success for the next 10 years and beyond!”​​​​​​​