The community arm of Scottish Rugby today (Wednesday 7 September) launched a new partnership with the British charity, Wooden Spoon, at Fort Matilda Playing Fields (Greenock Wanderers RFC) in Inverclyde. The New Communities Project sees the two organisations working together to bring rugby into communities less familiar with the sport, including areas of urban deprivation, and those affected by antisocial behaviour. Together, Scottish Rugby and Wooden Spoon aim to provide young people with tangible sporting and educational opportunities. Scottish Rugby’s community rugby project development manager, Neil Carrie, said: “Scottish Rugby are delighted to be working with Wooden Spoon on a pilot project which will enable us to take rugby into new communities and in doing so forge productive new partnerships with the likes of Inverclyde Council and Greenock Wanderers RFC. “Not only will this project get more young people involved in healthy activity, we can use rugby as a context for gaining qualifications, and developing life skills that can help young people progress into volunteering, education and even employment.” Jai Purewal, Development Director for Wooden Spoon, added: “Spoon is proud to be working with Scottish Rugby on this project which reinforces the values of the game to affect behavioural change in participants which, in turn, promotes the likelihood of transition into a variety of further opportunities in mainstream education and training including volunteering, employment or apprenticeship outcomes.”Gavin Hastings, Honorary President of Wooden Spoon’s Scottish Committee said: “It’s wonderful to see Wooden Spoon and Scottish Rugby working in partnership with numerous local agencies for the benefit of young people in the Inverclyde area. I join the other project partners in congratulating all those young people who make the most of this opportunity and use it to get ahead in life.The ‘Spoon New Communities’ project offers a range of programmes in Inverclyde and the Levenmouth area of Fife, including curricular and extra curricular rugby in the surrounding primary and secondary schools. It is a similar initiative to the referral programme and Street Rugby events running in various other areas across Scotland, but is working with a new partner targeting cold spots in Scotland where rugby isn’t as well known.The new communities programme will also see a group of young people, identified by youth workers and school guidance teachers, referred into an extended and focused rugby programme designed to help them learn to play the sport and also to improve their life skills, gain recognised qualifications and experience and direct them towards future opportunities.Education and Lifelong Learning Convener, Councillor Terry Loughran, said This is an excellent opportunity for young people who may not have had the opportunity to try rugby before. Not only is it an excellent way to get fit it is also a sport that teaches and champions important lessons in life such as teamwork and respect. With the Rugby World Cup kicking off in New Zealand I’m sure this project will be hugely popular over the coming weeks and months.Dougie Sloan, Rugby Development Manager at Greenock Wanderers added: “Greenock Wanderers are delighted to be involved with the Wooden Spoon Community Rugby Pilot scheme.”As a community based rugby club we have already, over the past three years, working in partnership with Scottish Rugby, Inverclyde Council and Birkmyre Rugby Club shown a firm commitment  to bringing rugby participation to the young people of Inverclyde via the local schools participation programmes.”This new partnership with the Wooden Spoon Society will allow Greenock Wanderers and our Development Officers to reach further into the community, bringing the opportunity for all young people in the Inverclyde area to participate in organised rugby activities.”I believe this to be a fantastic opportunity for all involved, with the young people engaging in sporting activities that will benefit their health and confidence. The community will benefit from young people taking a more responsible attitude and of course Greenock Wanderers will benefit from more rugby players getting involved.”   The referral programme gets underway in Greenock today and will see young men and women aged 16 years and above, have the opportunity to try rugby and commit to the extended programme.