The winners of the 2023 Community Sport and Recreation Awards were crowned at the Alliance’s annual ceremony, hosted at Twickenham Stadium.
Around 160 guests were in attendance for the celebration, with Alliance President, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, on hand to present the eight winning individuals and organisations with their trophies. The award winners also each received a £1000 prize, which will help them continue their fantastic work moving forward.
Alongside a speech from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, guests heard from Alliance Chair, Dame Janet Beer, Alliance CEO, Lisa Wainwright MBE, and former England and British and Irish Lions rugby star Nigel Redman – who gave a fantastic speech about his life and career in rugby. This year, the awards were hosted by Sky Sports News presenter, Jasper Taylor.
On the morning of the event, His Royal Highness, alongside Alliance CEO, Lisa Wainwright MBE, and representatives from Alliance members Skateboard GB, London FA, UK Youth, England Boxing and Basketball England also had the opportunity to visit Heatham House, a youth centre close to the stadium, to see the amazing work being done in the local community.
Alliance Chair, Dame Janet Beer, closed the ceremony with the following words:
“It is vitally important to us that we continue to celebrate these initiatives that tackle huge societal challenges, from mental health to inclusion and sustainability. Sport and recreation are arguably unique in their reach, with people from a vast array of backgrounds and circumstances engaged with our sector, making it an incredibly valuable way to tackle societal issues.”
“I hope you will all join me in congratulating all the nominees on their fantastic achievements – winners and finalists alike have all done incredible work this year, and grassroots sport and recreation benefits immensely from their contribution.”
A huge thank you from everyone at the Alliance to all those who joined us to celebrate the amazing work of our 24 finalists, and a special congratulations to our eight winners.
Read on to find out who took home the trophies, and their fantastic achievements in the last year.
Take a look at the photos of our winners below (listed below in order, left to right):
Community Club of the Year, sponsored by Equality Leaders – Crawley Rugby Football Club
Diversity and Inclusion Award, sponsored by Play Innovation – Cycle Sisters
Going Green Award, sponsored by Sport and Recreation Alliance – Saunton Golf Club
Inspiration of the Year, sponsored by Sport:80 – Hannah Crump (Stonebridge Golf Club)
Mental Health and Wellbeing Award, sponsored by Sport for Development Coalition – Burnley FC in the Community
Resilience in Adversity Award, sponsored by Air IT – The Legion Community Boxing Club
Volunteer of the Year, sponsored by Join In – Khadija Patel, KRIMMZ Girls Youth Club
Youth Development Award, sponsored by Fearless Women – Middlesbrough FC Foundation
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