West’s Sporting Stars Honoured
West of England Sport Trust (Wesport) and Nuffield Health host awards evening for contributions to sport in the West of England.
Sports men and women across the West Country were last night honoured for their outstanding contribution to sport at the inaugural West of England Celebration of Sport Evening at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel.
The event, organised by the West of England Sport Trust (Wesport) in partnership with Nuffield Health in Bristol, celebrated the achievements of athletes, inspirational volunteers, great coaches and high quality clubs and organisations in a glittering award ceremony hosted by World, European and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Kriss Akabusi.
A total of 12 awards were presented on the evening, including Children’s Coach of the Year, Young Volunteer of the Year, the Contribution to Inclusive Sport Award and a tribute to the person who has most contributed to creating an Olympic and Paralympic legacy in the West of England.
Steve Nelson, Chief Executive Officer at Wesport, said:
“There are some truly inspiring people working every day to make sure that sport happens in the West of England and we felt it was time their commitment and enthusiasm was officially recognised. We hope this will be the first of many West of England Celebration of Sport Evenings and thank everyone who took the time out to nominate someone this year.”
Ashley Livesey, Hospital Director for Nuffield Health, added:
“We’re delighted to have partnered with Wesport to help celebrate the achievements of our local sports men and women. This event marks the start of a long-term relationship between Nuffield Health and Wesport and we look forward to working closely with them to continue their great work in promoting and supporting participation in sport in our region.”
The 12 winners of the West of England Celebration of Sport Evening Awards were:
Children's Coach of the Year Award Sponsored by Bishop Fleming – Matthew Lewton, Year 11 Football Coach at Broadlands School.
Matthew was nominated by Martin Pellow, Project Officer at Bath and North East Somerset Council, Sport and Active Lifestyles, because he:
“ is an example of a young person who can make a difference to other’s lives, no matter what their position in an organisation. Matt does not seek recognition for himself and is always quick to praise others; we would like Matt to now receive the recognition he richly deserves.”
Participation Coach of the Year Award Sponsored by Nuffield Health – Professor Chris Elson, Athletics Coach at Bristol & West Athletic Club.
Chris was nominated by Keith Brackstone, Development Advisor at Bristol & West Athletic Club, because he:
“puts an enormous amount of time and effort into coaching and developing athletes in Avon, regardless of their club affiliation. He has a wealth of knowledge from the years he competed at a high level and although in his 70s and a Professor of Medicine he never stops learning and trying new methods to get the most from his athletes. He is a true inspiration and is an exemplary role model to any aspiring participation coach.”
Young Coach of the Year Award Sponsored by Richmond Event Management – Ellie Baldock, Team Bath Netball Club.
Ellie was nominated by Zaya Morris-Taylor, Junior Head Coach at Team Bath Netball Club, because she:
“is an extremely passionate, committed and knowledgeable coach. If she commits to a team, you know that she will dedicate her time to making sure they have the best possible Netballing experience she can. It is very easy to forget how young Ellie is as we are used to her being one of the most organised and collected coaches in the club. She really is a pleasure to work with and coach alongside!”
Performance Coach of the Year Award Sponsored by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College – Pete Douglas, Head Coach at Bradley Stoke Judo Club.
Pete was nominated by Sally Reeves, because:
“he is an inspiration to the children whom he coaches. Earlier this year he defended his European Gold medal at Lilles in France. He leads from the front and he instils self-confidence and self-belief in his athletes, which is needed to become a champion. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, Bradley Stoke Judo Club can now boast 20 British medallists. This includes numerous medals at major UK competitions including a gold and silver at the Junior Commonwealth Games.”
Young Volunteer of the Year Award Sponsored by Harleys and City of Bristol College – Carleah Hooper, Under 7’s Coach at Avonmouth Old Boys RFC.
Carleah was nominated by Jon Davies, Junior Chairman at Avonmouth Old Boys RFC, because she:
“is an extremely confident and mature young lady with a very positive and determinded attitude. Carleah is a fantastic role model for the younger members of the club and has formed some excellent relationships with both young and old. She gives up a massive amount of her time for the club, which we at Avonmouth are very grateful for as we know she is involved with other activities in and out of school. Whenever there is work to be done, whether it be cleaning or admin work, fund raising or organising events, Carleah is always the first to offer a helping hand. We at Avonmouth truly believe that the junior section of the club is a better place because of Carleah.”
Volunteer of the Year Award Sponsored by the West of England Sport Trust, Board of Trustees – Jimmy Robotham, Senior Coach at Empire ABC.
Jimmy was nominated by Martin Bisp, Secretary at Empire, because:
“there are very few people in Bristol who are as dedicated to volunteering in sport and their local community. I have never seen anyone dedicate such a large part of themselves to others and I truly believe that boxing, Bristol and most importantly all of society would be significantly poorer without Jimmy volunteering at the Empire.”
Club of the Year Award Sponsored by Nemisys – Bristol & West Athletic Club.
Bristol & West Athletic Club was nominated by Keith Brackstone, Development Advisor at Bristol & West Athletic Club, because its offering is:
“unique in Athletics in the Wesport area, in that it provides competition from the age of eight upwards in all track and field disciplines as well as on the road and at cross-country. Moreover the club works tirelessly with six members of the Avon County Athletic Association to develop the sport not just within the club but across the county. On top of this the club has won regional and National Team medals in 2012 as well as winning promotion in the National Young Athletes League, in the National Junior League (as part of Team Avon) and into the British Athletics League.”
Official of the Year Award Sponsored by the Circadian Trust – Sarah Weston, Avon Netball Association.
Sarah was nominated by Denise Snow, Association Chair at Avon Netball Association, because she:
“is an excellent role model for all our umpires in Avon and teams are so delighted to see her turn up court side to umpire their matches, which in itself is a true reflection of Sarah’s ability as an umpire and also as a person. Avon appreciate Sarah’s talent, experience and expertise and see her as such a great person and resource to have in our region. I can honestly say she will continue to strive to develop new ways to continue to raise the level of umpiring in our region.”
Wesport Sportivate Award Sponsored by The University of the West of England – Stewart Stacey, Sportivate Project Coordinator at Sport on the Out.
Stewart was nominated by Sarah Mcleod, Project Officer at Wesport, because he:
“has put a huge amount of time into the projects and really understands the massive impact that they can have on reducing the rate of re-offending. Stewart is able to build a relationship with the participants to get them enthused in sport and channel their energies into a positive experience. Stewart also puts a lot of time into supporting the young people into continued participation upon release by finding them a local club/place to continue participating in a sport they have enjoyed through the Sportivate sessions.”
Contribution to Inclusive Sport Award Sponsored by the Breakthrough Project – Lewis Mosely, pupil at The Castle School.
Lewis was nominated by Wayne Underwood, PE Teacher at The Castle School, because he:
“has a severe vision impairment called Stargardts disease, but has never let it affect him. He always finds a way to achieve a very high standard in sport and compete with other pupils. He has a great attitude and is a real inspiration to all other pupils, especially those who have any form of disability.”
Contribution to creating an Olympic and Paralympic Legacy in the West of England Award Sponsored by Team West of England – Bob Reeves, Bristol / Kenya partnership.
Bob was nominated by Simon Hinks, Director of Sport for University of Bristol, because he:
“has worked tirelessly for three years, visited Kenya on several occasions - much of it funded out of his own pocket - hosted Kenyan delegates and sportsmen in Bristol, formed crucial partnerships within Bristol - linking the University of Bristol, UWE, Filton College, Bristol City Council, Wesport and Bristol Schools together to make the partnership such a success. Bob has dedicated his life to sport and this is clearly one of his crowning glories.”
Aspiring Young Performer of the Year Award Sponsored by SportsAid – Annie Bartlett, Bath Rhythmic Gymnastics Club.
Annie was nominated by Martin Pellow, Project Officer at Bath and North East Somerset Council, Sport and Active Lifestyles, because she:
“has taken leave from 6th form to follow her dream and is doing everything she can to help the squad qualify for the London 2012 (a chance of a lifetime and to make history). She deserves this award because she won a place on the GB squad and her determination and hard work got her there.”
To find out more information about the West of England Celebration of Sport Evening 2012 please visit www.wesport.org.uk/cose.
