By Simon Mills, London & South East Regional Press Officer

Two of Chichester’s longest-serving volunteers have been honoured at Twickenham for their loyal service to the club. Dennis and Mary Phillips received their awards at a surprise ceremony at the stadium during a tour of the ground by Chichester.

They first visited the club in 1979 to enrol their son in Chichester’s mini rugby section - the start of a 25 year association with the West Sussex club. Since then, Dennis, 60, has coached, played and refereed before managing the bar and chairing the mini section. He is now the president of a mini and junior section with more than 200 registered players.

His wife Mary, 58, helped to run the mini and youth section, assisted with the bar management and is now the club manager, responsible for maintenance, catering, kit and functions.

They received their awards in the stadium from RFU CB Volunteer Manager Carole Thelwall-Jones as part of the RFU’s Value The Volunteer initiative to reward the contributions of thousands of club workers. The presentation was the second of the day made to Chichester, who received the RFU’s Seal of Approval and Sport England’s Clubmark.

“It is important to recognise that the two awards represent a magnificent achievement, and a tribute to the many hours of work put in by everyone involved with mini, junior and youth rugby at the club,” said David Kay, secretary of the club’s mini and junior sections.

“These awards are the result of the huge amount of time put in by a large group of volunteers over many years. The standards required by the scheme are incredibly high and it is fantastic to have been judged to have met them.”