Canoe England awards ceremony - recognition for volunteers in Staffordshire

The awards recognise and reward volunteers, officials and coaches who make outstanding contributions to Paddlesport and who often go unnoticed with very little thanks and praise.

 

Presentations took place at the National Watersports Centre, Nottingham during the English Council ACM. British Canoe Union Vice Presidents, David Gent and Alan Laws, were on hand to present the awards to the winners.

 

The awards were launched as part of a number of new initiatives, which have been aimed at rewarding, recruiting and supporting volunteers in Paddlesport. Along with new resources for clubs, which can be accessed on the Canoe England website, the awards are part of a scheme to enable Canoe England to thank the many volunteers in Paddlesport for their time and commitment.

 

“Canoeing has a fantastic network of volunteers in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent who dedicate their time and energy to the sport,” says Julia White, Volunteer Development Officer for Canoe England. “We would love to personally thank every volunteer for their time and dedication if we could, and the awards allow us to start doing this by honouring some inspirational and long standing volunteers.”

 

Here are the volunteers from Staffordshire who received awards:

 

Young Volunteer - Sam Hargreaves, Staffordshire

Sam, aged 15, has been volunteering since he was 12 and is enthusiastically on hand to help where it’s needed - leading groups, loading trailers, sorting kits, designing leaflets, and planning trips and events. Sam’s confidence, skill, ability and sense of purpose have increased no end and has now found happiness through volunteering in Paddlesport, but also realised the rewards which can be gained: “He mentioned to me recently about a very disabled boy who smiled for the first time as Sam was towing him and his mum around in a canoe,” explains Sam’s mum.

 

Professional Community Coach - Ruth Holdway, Stafford & Stone Canoe Club

Level 3 Kayak and Level 2 Slalom and racing coach, Ruth Holdway is employed as a community sports coach for the region of Stafford & Stone and Trentham. Ruth consistently goes the extra mile and works over her contracted hours resulting in a tremendous impact on the young people she works with.

 

Community Volunteer - Keith Sunderland, Trentham Canoe Club, Staffs

As fellow coach, Ruth Holdway, states: “Keith mustn’t have a minute to call his own: if he’s not on the water teaching beginners to canoe… he is trying to organise canoeing courses, promote opportunities for scout leaders to become qualified coaches; help on the committee, do DIY work; work on boat storage or look after and transport bulky canoeing equipment… For keith there is no such thing as a quiet weekend… Without Keith and his family, Trentham Canoe Club would struggle to operate so successfully.”

 

Outstanding Contribution - Andy Neave, Stafford & Stone Canoe Club

Andy has been volunteering for over 23 years as a coach and competition organiser for his club. His coaching has developed many of Britain’s junior and senior medallists: “His commitment to coaching is outstanding,” says fellow club coach, Ruth Holdway. “Andy has the gift of getting the children he coaches to strive for the best they can achieve.” Andy is one of those people who will also go the extra mile to help. “He is an innovator…If we had more Andy Neave’s dotted around the country, British Canoeing would be a force to be reckoned with across the world,” says Ruth.

 

For more information on the awards contact

Canoe England’s Volunteer Development Officer - Julia White 08453709530.

Canoe England is a division of the British Canoe Union, the National Governing Body for the sport and recreation of canoeing and kayaking in the UK. For more information visit www.canoe-england.org.uk

Sports volunteers have been described by Sport England as the “lifeblood of sport” and as providing “the foundations of our sporting nation”.

The Framework for Sport in England (2003) highlights the roles of volunteers as one of the “key drivers of change” necessary for sport to achieve its target of getting more people participating in sport and widening access to sport and physical activity.

SASSOT recognises that the critical role of volunteers is fundamental for sport to continue to thrive throughout the sub-region and the need for better support and investment in the volunteer workforce.

SASSOT are working hard to maximise this natural resource through working with National Governing Bodies to attract and retain more volunteers, reduce the burdens faced by volunteers and ensure professional support enhances voluntary systems.

SASSOT also plan to work with the broader voluntary sector and partners such as the Volunteer Development Agencies within the sub-region to ensure that best practice is being appropriately deployed within the sport sector.

If sport is to sustain the enthusiasm and expertise of all those who give their time so willingly to sport in the area, it is essential that the SASSOT Club Support Plan is in place to ensure that this invaluable workforce and the future generations of volunteers are appropriately trained, deployed, supported and motivated in a coordinated approach.

 

For further information please contact:

Chris Turner
Club & PESSCL Development Officer 
T: 01785 619681 
E: cturner@staffordbc.gov.uk