DEDICATED volunteers from across Ayrshire have been honoured at Scottish Rugby's Community Recognition Awards.
Winners were crowned in a special ceremony held at Murrayfield on Friday, March 21.
The event coincided with the 100th anniversary celebrations of the home of national rugby.
The Community Recognition Awards is an annual domestic game awards programme, focusing on the on and off-field efforts of clubs, schools and societies across Scotland over the course of the past year.
Hundreds of nominations were received by Scottish Rugby throughout January and February, leading to a working group of club rugby board members and Scottish Rugby colleagues deciding on the eventual winners across six categories.
Each of the six Scottish Rugby regions are represented by a winner for each category, totalling 36 winners.
Ayrshire is located within the Glasgow South region, with a number of volunteers from the area taking home acclaim.
Irvine Royal Academy teacher Rory Couper took home the Volunteer of the Season in Schools Rugby prize.
He was one of three North Ayrshire winners with Irvine RFC's Fiona Long also crowned Volunteer of the Season in Adult Rugby.
While Allan Wilson - also from the Marress club, also took home a prize in the form of the Adam Gray Memorial Award.
This was a special recognition created in memory of former Scottish Rugby Board and Council member and Stewartry rugby stalwart Adam Gray who passed away in March 2020.
The award aims to recognise those who have shown an outstanding contribution to the game in the region.
There were also winners from elsewhere in Ayrshire with Cumnock RFC's Kevan Aitken hailed as Community Match Official of the Season for Glasgow South.
The final winner from the region came in the Community Club of the Season category where Carrick RFC took home the acclaim.
It was an incredible moment for all award winners with Scottish Rugby’s East area director, David Drummond, saying that celebrating the awards alongside the centenary celebrations of the stadium made the day even more special.
He said: “In terms of a stage, it really doesn’t get much better than this. To celebrate our community rugby volunteers like this makes for a magic day, and shows how highly Scottish Rugby values our rugby community.
“I’d like to congratulate all of today’s winners and thank them all for their invaluable contributions to our schools, clubs, societies and communities."
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