Mayor marks tenth anniversary of Rugby Town Guides

The volunteer tour guides visited the Town Hall on Monday (17 November) to meet the Mayor of Rugby, Cllr Barbara Brown.

Based at Rugby Visitor Centre, the town guides were launched in 2015, when England hosted the Rugby World Cup and Rugby was granted 'Proud Home' status for the tournament by World Rugby.

A decade later, the guides still take residents and visitors on tours of the town centre's iconic buildings and landmarks, including the Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum, The Queen's Gates at the entrance of The Close at Rugby School, the statue of Rupert Brooke and the monument to Sir Frank Whittle.

The free tours take place every Saturday from the spring through to autumn, starting at the visitor centre in Little Elborow Street. Bespoke tours for individuals and groups can also be arranged all year round - call Rugby Visitor Centre on (01788) 533217 or email visitor.centre@rugby.gov.uk 

The Rugby Town Guides won the Art, Culture and Heritage Group Award at the 2023 Warwickshire and Solihull Community and Voluntary Action (CAVA) Rugby Volunteer Awards.

And Cllr Brown said she was delighted to invite the guides to the Mayor's Parlour to celebrate the team's tenth anniversary.

"The Rugby Town Guides have dedicated hundreds of hours to sharing the history of our town with visitors and residents, voluntary work which has done the borough proud for a decade," Cllr Brown added.

"Each guide's expert knowledge and passion bring the borough's history alive and, even for lifelong residents of Rugby, can reveal the hidden history on our doorsteps."

For more information about guided tours of the town centre, visit www.therugbytown.co.uk/townguides