Alnwick Sports Awards set to honour local stars

This year, the awards presentation will take place next Thursday (February 6) at 7pm in the recently refurbished Alnwick Playhouse and will be supported by businesses and organisations from across the region.

Over the past few weeks nominations for each of the 13 awards presented by the Sports Council have been received.

These are for: Senior Male; Senior Female; Junior Male (18 and Under); Junior Female (18 and Under); Senior Achievement; Junior Achievement; Top Senior Team; Top Junior Team; Most Improved Sports Person; Volunteer of the year; Service to Sport; Coach of the Year and Club of the Year.

Bill Batey Chairman of the Alnwick & District Sports Council said: “The Sports Awards are always a highlight of the sporting calendar and we always hear about fantastic sporting achievements which demonstrate that Alnwick & District really is home to some of the most successful sporting talents and rising stars, in the country today.”

The Guest of Honour is Allison Curbishley, who is a former Olympic, European and Commonwealth Games athlete and is now a BBC athletics commentator. His Grace the Duke of Northumberland will also be present to present trophies together with award sponsors.

Also presented on the evening will be the Alnwick Gazette ‘Sports Personality’ award. This year’s nominees are: Adam White (Kickboxing) who won gold in his weight at the World Championships; Jim Manford (completed his 300th marathon - 102 overseas including 55 different countries); Peter Grey (Alnwick Harriers) who won silver at the NE Masters in Wallsend plus consistently finished first in his age group in lots of local races; Lucy Bronze, who had an exceptional year winning Champions League with Lyon, She Believes Cup with England, reached semi-finals of World Cup with England and named Uefa ‘Women’s Player of the Year’ and Laura Weightman, who set new personal bests at the mile, 3000m and 5000m in 2019, and finished 7th in the World Championship 5k in Doha, Qatar.

To vote for the winner send in your favourite on a sealed envelope to the Gazette Offices at Bondgate Without by 5pm on Wednesday (February 5); or email your choice to [email protected]