Sport volunteers in the running for top awards
THREE sports volunteers from Bridgend county have been shortlisted as finalists in the Wales Sport Awards, the country’s biggest annual celebration of elite and grassroots sport.
Sixteen-year-old Megan Curling from Maesteg is in the running for Young Volunteer of the Year, while 24-year-old Jamie Evans from Brackla is a finalist in the Young Coach of the Year category and Emily Griffiths, also 24 and from Brackla, is being recognised in the Coach to Disabled People category.
Megan Curling’s nomination is due to her volunteering role within the Girls Network, where she’s helping to get more young girls into physical activity, and also delivering multiskills sport sessions to youngsters at her old school, Garth Primary.
Megan’s commitment to grassroots sport doesn’t stop there – she is also a volunteer coach at Maesteg Trampolining Club, where she supports young children to take part in physical activity from a young age.
Young Coach contender Jamie Evans is the head coach at Pencoed Gymnastics and Tumbling Club and also coaches the Welsh tumbling team as one of the very few tumbling coaches in Wales with high-level qualifications.
After attending Pencoed Tumbling Club from a young age, Jamie took over as head coach when the club faced closure in 2012. The club is one of the most successful in Wales, and recently saw four of its members competing in the British Tumbling Finals.
The third local award contender, Emily Griffiths, volunteers as head coach for the South Wales Titans, which is a Paralympic swim academy covering Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend county.
Emily, whose day job is sports recovery co-ordinator for Help for Heroes, has had a busy year after being selected to coach Team UK at the Invictus Games and was also appointed head coach for the Warrior Games.
Her hard work has also earned her a spot as a Swim Wales coach for the Para-Swimming National Championships.
The Wales Sport Awards are organised jointly by Sport Wales and BBC Wales to celebrate volunteers for their outstanding contributions to community sport throughout Wales, and the winners will be announced on Monday, December 5.