Marlow Rugby club have received a golden seal of approval from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in the form of a Legacy Gold Standard Award.

The honour is in recognition of the work done by the club to increase the number of people participating in touch rugby on a regular basis through the O2 Touch campaign.

RFU Professional Rugby Director Rob Andrew presented the award and he was impressed with what Marlow had to offer.

Andrew said: “It was great to come and see first-hand the great work that Marlow has been doing and present this award.

“Marlow RUFC is a fantastic example of a leading O2 touch centre that is connecting with the local community and increasing participation through touch.”

Marlow are among 15 out of 275 O2 Touch centres to receive the award which is designed to acknowledge the impact made by clubs in securing a sustainable legacy for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

They have been part of the O2 touch scheme since 2013 which is England Rugby’s fastest growing participation programme and has attracted 11,400 men and women to play touch rugby nationwide.

“Having been playing Touch Rugby now for a year I can safely say I am hooked. Actually I was hooked from the first session,” Pippa Pearce, a regular at the events, said.

“I had no experience of playing rugby, but was welcomed into the group and have been encouraged throughout each session and no longer feel like I am in ‘headless chicken’ mode and am in danger of knowing what I am doing.”

Marlow run sessions all year round which attract consistently high turnouts and have taken part in RFU research events and finished as runners up at a tournament at Twickenham. To find out more about the O2 touch events visit www.o2touch.co.uk.