Although Dave Ward was not able to celebrate his 30th birthday as an Aviva Community Player of the Year winner, the Harlequins hooker admitted his nomination was a good enough gift.
Just 24 hours before his landmark birthday Ward was in attendance at the Aviva Premiership Rugby Awards evening in London after being recognised for transforming the face of Guildford Rugby Club.
As an extension of working tirelessly to bridge the gap between seniors, juniors and minis, Ward works with the Harlequins foundation, supporting the HITZ programme, whose mission is to try and instil the values of rugby in under-privileged youngsters through playing rugby.
Saracens’ Jamie George won the award, with Gloucester Rugby’s Dan Murphy, Tom Dunn of Bath Rugby, and London Irish-bound Dom Waldouck the other nominees.
But Ward says the satisfaction from seeing he is making a tangible difference in his local area is consolation enough from coming home empty-handed from the Hilton Park Lane on Wednesday.
“When people do get on the right path they turn into the hardest of workers and really appreciate it,” he said.
“I’ve seen some of the guys at the Harlequins Community Awards and they’ve picked up numerous awards.
It’s an amazing feeling to know I’ve met these guys a few months or even weeks ago, and through the Harlequins foundation doing such a brilliant job that they’ve gone from strength to strength. I’m so proud to be a part of it.
“If you build a gymnasium in the area, people aren’t going to come unless you take the sport to them.
“You have to make it a real local sporting effort and they want to be involved if you go to their playgrounds and go to their workshops.”
Quins’ travails on the pitch have earned six of Ward’s team-mates inclusion into England’s 50-man World Cup training squad this week.
And some of those at the Stoop have been keen to help out Ward off the pitch too, much to his delight.
“The guys at Quins have really got into it this year, we’ve become role models to look up to,” he added.
“I was a young guy growing up at Bath when I was six and seven and looked up at rugby players, and for me to able to do that now in my position is brilliant.
“The nomination is for the Harlequins squad, knowing we’re earning the recognition having done good things for the community.”
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