Finalists revealed for Greater Manchester Sports Awards - Tameside edition

The Greater Manchester Sports Awards are taking place on 15th November at The Point Emirates Old Trafford.

The Tameside Sports Awards were held at the Dukinfield Town Hall on 27^th September and the winners on the evening who will now represent Tameside at The Greater Manchester Sports Awards are;

Changing Lifestyle

This award recognises individuals who have used physical activity to transform their lifestyle for the better.

Gaynor Nightingale–Patterson

Gaynor used to do no exercise, was extremely overweight, had knee problems and smoked heavily. She now attends four fitness classes a week, has quit smoking, has lost over seven stone and gone from a size 24 to a size 12. In July she climbed Mount Snowdon, raising over £400 for charity. At 60 years old, she no longer has knee or breathing problems, nor takes medication.

Club of the Year 

This award recognises a community club or community group who has had an impact in their local community.

Hyde Running Community (HRC)

Formed in September 2017, HRC now attracts 70 people, welcoming a range of abilities and ages, with many members having competed in races and experienced improved physical and mental health. The club celebrates personal achievements and supports the local community, regularly volunteering at parkrun. HRC is run solely by volunteers and has trained members to become run leaders, so more support can be provided to improve people’s confidence and fitness.

Young Sports Achiever of the Year 

This award recognises young athletes (aged under 18) who are not professionally funded who have had significant success in their sport.

Jack Green-Wilson

Jack participates in karate at European and World level. He also works with junior and senior members of his club, encouraging them and helping to improve their confidence. He trained throughout his GCSEs but still received excellent grades. Some of his recent achievements include English Cadet Champion gold; Four Nations Champion gold; British Champion gold and a ranking of 26th out of a possible 203 cadets in the world.

Unsung Hero 

This award recognises long term volunteers (over 10 years) who have made a significant difference.

Paul Harper

Paul has been Tameside Junior Netball Club’s head coach since 1996. In January, he sadly suffered a stroke and was in critical condition. In just six months, he regained his independence, speech and love for sport. He has since taken on more responsibilities, becoming a mentor for junior coaches. He has had a huge impact on players, coaches and the community and under his guidance, Tameside have won multiple national championships.

Volunteer of the Year 

This award recognises those who have given up their time to volunteer in sport or physical activity.   

Julie Briggs

Julie volunteers at Ashton Swimming Club twice a week. Not only is she the Treasurer, Membership Secretary and Gala Recorder, she also fundraises for the club and arranges their presentation evenings. Julie is the first person anyone sees when they first arrive to swim and she offers encouragement to all swimmers to take part in charity swims.

Workforce Advocate 

This award recognises an individual that has used physical activity or sport within their professional role to have positive impacts.

Aidan Tevlin

Aidan is a swimming teacher who works with 10-16 year olds on a voluntary basis. With his help, his club now have twice as many swimmers competing in category two swims and some competing for their county. He encourages swimmers to better themselves, organises community events and helps to increase participation. Aidan is committed to giving back to his sport and will soon be training others to become swimming teachers.

School Commitment to PE and Sport Award 

This award recognises schools that have gone above and beyond in respect to incorporating activity into a school day for their pupils and staff.

Arlies Primary School

Arlies offers a variety of sports, including boccia, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse and archery and its dedicated PE coach helps children to achieve their goals. Children are encouraged to take part in The Daily Mile, the ‘walking bus’ and attend after-school sports clubs. They put on workshops for parents to improve their health through exercise and diet and they reward children for making healthy lunchtime choices.

Initiative of the Year 

This award recognises a physical activity initiative, which has made a difference in communities and achieved positive social outcomes.

Tour of Tameside – Running Bee Foundation 

This unique initiative has got 1,300 people running and 7,000 children more active, and now has a pot of £15,000 to give back to the community to support active, healthy lifestyles and fight childhood obesity. They are dedicated to getting the people of Tameside active and healthy and this year over 500 people completed all four challenging stages of the event, with 7,000 schoolchildren also completing their 7-mile challenge.