Volunteer Recognition Awards celebrate volunteer success
Twenty-six volunteers received awards on Saturday at the Canoe England Volunteer & Recognition Awards. The awards, now in their third year, celebrate the contributions of volunteers to canoeing.
This year's event, sponsored by Lee Valley Regional Park, took place at Wyboston Lakes Conference Centre in Bedfordshire, during Canoe England's Coaching Conference. Over 200 people attended the ceremony, including volunteers, coaches and Canoe England staff. GB's Slalom C2 (Canoe Double) paddler Etienne Stott presented the awards alongside Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park.
Sue Hornby, Director of Development comments: "It is truly inspirational to see and hear about all the fantastic work that is being undertaken by our volunteers across England. This event is a perfect opportunity to publicly recognise and celebrate the work that is being done, so often, by unsung heros. From the very young to the more senior volunteers, their passion, enthusiasm and expertise is fundamental to the enjoyment and success of our sport at all levels."
Etienne Stott, GB Slalom C2 comments: "I was really pleased to be asked to help present the Volunteer Awards this year. Canoeing is such a great sport to be involved in and I know about the effort and dedication put in behind the scenes to make it happen. It was very satisfying to be able to help say 'thank you' to all those people and recognise the contributions of a few of them. Over the years, I have come into contact with hundreds of volunteers and it's true to say that the sport would not be as excellent as it is without them all."
Pictures available on the official Canoe England Facebook page
Canoe England Volunteer & Recognition Awards Winners 2009:
Young Coach
Ushma Chohan of Paddleplus, Leicester
Paddlepower Coach
Stephen Moore of Itchen South District Canoe Centre, Southampton
Female Volunteer Coach
Kari Martin of Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club, Leighton Buzzard
Male Volunteer Coach
Kevin Tidbury of Guildford Sea Cadets, Guildford
Teacher
Amanda Western of Brimrod Primary School, Rochdale
Employed Coach
Paul Ratcliffe of the British Canoe Union World Class Programme
Young Volunteer
Siobhan Terrington of White Rose Canoe Club, Leeds
Access Volunteer
Patricia Green of Ribble Canoe Club, Preston
Community Volunteer
Vivienne Mugford of Shepperton Canoe Club, Shepperton
Impact on Disability
Matthew Baines of 4 A’s Club, Newark
Official
Caroline Barnes of Southampton Canoe Club, Southampton
Outstanding Contributions
Andy Barclay of the South West Region;
Wiktoria Daniels;
David Cassell of Waveney Valley Canoe Club, Bungay;
Paul Burgess of Hexham Canoe Club, Hexham;
Martin Davies of Edmonton Canoe Club, North London;
Peter Schofield, Chairman of Wild Water Racing;
Tibor Herbent of Royal Leamington Spa Canoe Club, Leamington Spa;
Dave Royle of Stafford & Stone Canoe Club in Stone;
Dave Mackay of Winchester & District Canoe Club, Winchester;
Jerry Rogers of Blackwater Valley Canoe Club in Aldershot;
Sue and Steve Bright of Canoe Slalom;
Paul Tuffin (For his work at the European Canoe Slalom Championships)
Martyn and Alison Setchell (For their work at the European Canoe Slalom Championships)
Canoe Slalom Volunteers for their contribution at the European Canoe Slalom Championships
The BCU and Canoe England are proud to announce the winning clubs for this year's prestigious title of BCU Club of the Year 2009:
BCU Club of the Year - Viking Kayak Club
Runners Up (joint) - Trentham Canoe Club & Basingstoke Canal Canoe Club