Development Club of the Year – Newark AC
This award is going to a club that has focussed its development towards raising standards in performance and ensuring it can become more sustainable.  Volunteer recruitment has been a key area they have focussed on with a number of new coaches, team managers, technical officials and general helpers being recruited over the last 12 months.

The club has a very effective working relationship with other clubs in Nottinghamshire. They work with 2 other clubs to share training facilities and encourage members to join other clubs in events where specific coaching is not available.  There has been a significant increase in new members in the last 12 months and athletes are now competing at a higher level and now have access to a wider range of competitive opportunities with the club entering the Lincolnshire League and NJAL as part of a composite team for the first time.  The club has also established strong links with local schools and are in the process of establishing a Run England group.

Athletics Network of the Year – Leicestershire Vision 2020 Network
In its second year, this Network  has continued to grow both in numbers of clubs involved and by its influence within those member clubs. With many of its members being road running clubs and in general having no coaching structure much work has been put in to bring a culture of increased knowledge and a desire to gain qualifications. This has resulted in a number of clubs now implementing their own coaching structure and creating an environment of progression in their coaching.

The coach and run leaders committee which was formed during 2011 is now a thriving and driving force behind the initiatives taking place at ground level and this continues to grow in strength and enthusiasm. From these initiatives clubs have begun to work more closely together and have subsequently shared training sessions and coaches.

The Network has also been involved in competition provision having organised a 3 match Club Quadkids league and in conjunction with the county association a 3 match Sportshall Athletics league. It has also taken over the running and organisation of the UKs biggest primary schools cross country league and has turned this, against all odds into a commercially viable and ultimately profitable project.  Sustainability has been a key focus from the beginning and the Network has, very importantly, worked towards its long term future by becoming a financially viable organisation and is well on target to produce 75% sustained income in the coming year.

Partnership of the Year – Bassetlaw District Council & Worksop Harriers
This award goes to a club and local authority who have worked closely during this Olympic year to deliver a range of athletic centred initiatives to involve the local community.  The club is a full and active partner in the council’s Sports Forum and has provided the vice chair to the Steering Group which organised a range of sports events across the district linked with London 2012, as well as volunteers to help deliver the events.
A selection of the jointly organised events and projects include:

• An Olympic Torch Relay visited all 64 schools in the district.
• Over 2,000 schoolchildren have participated in athletics coaching sessions during the year in partnership between coaches from the athletics club and the councils Sports Development team.
• A Mass participation Mile event was held in historic Clumber Park and attracted over 600 participants.
  
  

• Establishing a Saturday junior training group
• Running a programme with Rushcliffe Borough Council to take athletics into primary schools
• Setting up the club’s first ever summer camp

In addition to her club involvement, she has worked tirelessly to promote athletics in the local community.

Services to coaching – Ted Grey
This award goes to someone who has been involved with the sport as an athlete, administrator and coach for 60 years and is one of the UK’s longest serving hurdles coaches.  Despite his success at the highest level this coach’s main interest lies in the development of young hurdlers. Each year he will have several athletes from various clubs competing at the English Schools Championships.

From his base at Mansfield he runs weekly sessions for athletes and coaches. These sessions are open to all comers and athletes from several different clubs regularly attend.  For over 12 years he has been the inspirational Co-ordinator and lead coach at the Northwood Academy of Hurdles. He is also the author of a 36 page booklet entitled “Guide to Coaching Young Hurdlers.”

He has delivered regular sessions across the region as part of England Athletics Flying Coach programme at clubs in South Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the East Midlands. He has delivered local sessions supporting Networks and clubs. From these sessions clubs have nurtured their own coaches and set up local hurdles squads where they previously did not operate. This has resulted in an increase in the number of coaches coaching hurdles and an increase in athletes competing in hurdle competitions.
 
Services to Disability Athletics – Cherie D’Silva
This award goes to someone who has long been committed to disability athletics in Leicestershire, and has formed and Chaired the County Disability Athletics Group which has gone from strength to strength. She has always strived to break down barriers for disabled athletes, ensuring that athletics events are inclusive for all, leading the group to run 3 successful annual competitions, and supporting athletes with various disabilities to compete at local, regional and national competitions.

She has given her time not only to organising events and ensuring accessibility to groups, but also to support individual athletes to progress through to National level competition, or to gain funding for specialist equipment to allow them to progress within their discipline.  Her enthusiasm and passion has been the driving force for disability athletics in Leicestershire for a number of years, seeing the development group become a well respected body by local and national agencies, and key part of disability sport within Leicestershire and beyond.
 
Official of the Year – Gwen Hines
This award goes to a level 3 track judge from Nottinghamshire who has been a qualified technical official for over 30 years.  She is the current secretary of the Nottinghamshire AAA Officials' Sub Committee; a role she has held for over 6 years.  She is responsible for coordinating officials to attend all local fixtures at all levels, which exceeded 70 fixtures during the year!

She supports all levels of competitions as an official from Sportshall and QuadKids right through to national championships level at schools and clubs; and across all disciplines including track and field, road and cross country. This year alone she has attended over 50 competitions.

She is also heavily involved with officials' education and is very supportive with the personal development of technical officials together with the recruitment and retention of new officials. Conscious that new officials were unwilling to travel to attend courses she was responsible for organising a level 2 technical officials training day locally in Nottinghamshire which recruited 12 new track judges and 14 new field judges. She is now currently mentoring two new officials and was also involved with the Olympic Games as an athletics umpire.
 
Services to Officiating – Nick Reade
Nick Reade has been involved as a technical official in athletics for over 20 years and is currently a level 3 Field Judge. He not only officiates at track and field meetings but he is also willing to support cross country fixtures as a volunteer official.

Nick’s passion is for equipment and facilities where he is regarded as a fountain of knowledge and he provides advice and information.  He adopts a very pragmatic approach to blending the needs of the athlete, competition, health and safety and meeting the technical rule requirements. Meetings seem to operate seamlessly without any problems when in reality it is Nick’s work behind the scenes. His car boot carries a full set of tools and equipment to enable him to carry out his role and ensure that competitions can carry on even when bits of equipment fail or can not be provided on site

Nick has become more and more involved in facilities maintenance and supports the annual inspections visits of tracks process.  Nick regularly carries out track inspections, writes reports and advises on equipment replacement and purchase.

He is currently acting as a mentor to two recently qualified officials and proactively supports personal development. 

Nick has been involved in the London Olympic Games working behind the scenes on equipment preparation and movement in the arena.  Unlike many officials who may be retired Nick is still employed full time and has often had to take annual leave from work to carry out his volunteer roles as an official.

Services to Volunteering – Margaret Madden
The winner of this award is being recognised for her years of dedication to Notts AC. She is ever present at club nights on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  She can be found on the  registrations desk all year round and has got to know the athletes so well that she can mark them as present as they have just passed through the gate! 

She also plays an integral part in ensuring home matches are smoothly run at Harvey Hadden as she shares the responsibility of making all the officials lunches and serving them from the club canteen all day.
 
Young Volunteer of the Year – Kara Winson
This award goes to a competing athlete with Derby AC who has acted as the club's Team Manager for the UK Young Athletes League for the last 2 years whilst she has been injured and unable to compete.  She has selected the teams, contacted the team members and managed the team on match days.

As well as ensuring the club has been well represented in all the Young Athletes League matches during 2011 and 2012 she has managed to fit in studying for A levels with regularly helping behind the clubs tea bar and officiating various events.  She has been described as someone who throws herself into many club activities and always with a smile on her face!
 
Services to Athletics – Harold Billings
This year’s winner is someone who is committed to athletics through his volunteering at Sutton Harriers and Nottinghamshire AAA in many different roles - coach, official, race organiser and administrator.  He volunteers over 20 hours each week to the sport he has been involved with for almost 60 years and holds a wide range of roles across a number of organisation in cluding Club president, team Manager, Race Director, member of various committees, XC Secretary and race Adjudicator with Run Britain.

He runs an under 9s session weekly before the main club session and attracts over 30 youngsters. He also coaches a group of athletes three times each week at the club plus he goes in to local schools to deliver sessions.  He has set up a satellite club at a school away from the club HQ and supported a club member to gain a LIRF qualification and to set up a Run England Group.

He is also heavily involved in event organisation and as a race organiser facilitates 12 races each year. This year he was also involved in the organization of an Olympic Torch style event which went through the local community.
 
Run England Leader and Group of the Year – Fiona Fiander / Rushden Runners

These next 2 awards are both new categories for 2012 and will be presented together as the person who has one the Run England Group Leader of the Year is also the driving force behind the Run England Group of the Year.   Fiona Fianda is the Leader who is picking up the first award for her enthusiasm and drive to ensure that everyone succeeds in achieving their goals.  Fiona started Rushden Runners in early 2011 as a beginners group and has grown to include both established runners and those individuals new to running.  Fiona has made running a fun and a very sociable activity which has been the secret to the group’s success.  Group members have become friends and developed a real enthusiasm for running, which has lead them to regularly take part in 5 and 10K runs, Parkruns, marathons and fun runs.

The group has over 50 people registered and they regularly introduce new beginner courses to bring new people into the group.  They work in partnership with Wellingborough & District Athletics Club who signpost any new runners to the group and in return, Rushden Runner signpost any interested runners to W&DAC.  The group now organises regular social events and even has its own Facebook page!
 
Run England Project of the Year - Leicestershire and Rutland Sport / Leicestershire Vision 2020 Network
This award goes to a County Sports Partnership and Athletics Network for their collaborative approach to developing the Run England programme across an entire county.  As a CSP team they have worked closely with the Network coordinator to ensure any opportunities to involve and register new Run England members has been fully integrated.  When the opportunity to bid for extra funding to progress the Run England project came about they were immediately supportive and engaged with the NGB through the Network to set ambitious targets and produce a plan to enable them to expand the project.

Working together with the local Activator they have continued to support and assist with driving forward the project which is now well on course to exceed the targets set. This project has recruited the highest number of Run England registered members in any county in the country and this is set to continue as the two organisations maintain a close working relationship, working together to create a positive and supportive environment to promote and progress recreational running in the county.

High resolution photos at photobucket.com/EMidsAwards2012

Newark AC
 
 
 
 
 
 
       
 

Leicestershire Vision 2020 Network
 
 
 
 

 

Bassetlaw District Council & Worksop Harriers
 

 
 

Serena Bignall
 

 
 
 

Gavin Ricketts and Stef Wilcockson on behalf of Ted Grey
 

 

Cherie D’Silva
 
 
 
 
 
            
 
 

Gwen Hines (with Barry Parker)
 
 
 
 

 
 

Margaret Madden
   

Kara Winson
  

Harold Billings

Fiona Fiander / Rushden Runners

Run England Project 

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