Jon Grubb

Lincoln-born Paralympic gold medalist Sophie Wells receives the Lincolnshire Sports Personality of the Year 2012 award from BBC presenter John Inverdale

On Thursday night we celebrated the ninth annual Lincolnshire Sports Awards, and with such a successful year in sport, this awards ceremony was the best one yet.

BBC presenter John Inverdale returned to where his career started to host the Sports Awards for the second year, and what a pleasure to have a London 2012 Olympic Games presenter meeting Lincolnshire’s finest athletes, and celebrating their success.

The calibre of candidates at the awards was incredible – from athletes at elite level who have represented Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to a 92-year old diver from Lincoln. Those involved in sport and physical activity were truly celebrated and recognised for their dedication to their sport.

Paralympic equestrian rider Sophie Wells was named Lincolnshire Sports Personality of the Year 2012 for her outstanding success at the London 2012 Games; bringing home one gold medal, two silver medals and a gold post-box in Castle Square in Lincoln!

She, along with other London 2012 athletes, Torchbearers and Games Makers took part in a Lincolnshire 2012 parade to official open the awards with a standing ovation from the crowd for our county’s most recognised athletes and volunteers.

The dedication of Lincolnshire’s volunteers, clubs and coaches were also exceptional. Gerry Wilson, a volunteer who has dedicated half a century to cricket in Lincolnshire was rewarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Rosana Townsend from Lincoln Imps Trampoline Club was named Coach of the Year.

The whole event celebrated sport and physical activity in Lincolnshire, and without the volunteers, clubs, coaches and participants, this simply wouldn’t be possible. I’d like to thank everyone who attended the Lincolnshire Sports Awards last night, or followed it online through Facebook or Twitter; all of the shortlisted candidates and those who took the time to nominate their sporting heroes; the businesses who sponsored the Sports Awards or donated to the raffle; and everyone who worked in partnership to bring this event together and truly recognise Lincolnshire’s sporting achievements.

And so, from Veteran Sportsperson of the Year Donald Sutherland who is still somersaulting in his 90s, to our Lincolnshire Sports Personality of the Year Sophie Wells, and every deserving winner and those nominated in between, we bid farewell to another Lincolnshire Sports Awards; and start planning for 2013! We’ll see you there!

The winners

Photos: Lincs Photos

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Lincolnshire Sports Personality of the Year 2012
Disabled Sportsperson of the Year
Sophie Wells (Lincoln/Harby near Newark)

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Sportsman of the Year
Rob Tobin (Lincoln)

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Sportswoman of the Year
Georgie Twigg (Lincoln)

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Young Sportsman of the Year
Oliver Bitowt (Grantham)

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Young Sportswoman of the Year
Rebecca Dunning (Louth)

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Young Disabled Sportsperson of the Year
Jamie Carter (Binbrook near Market Rasen)

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Coach of the Year
Rosana Townsend (Lincoln)

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Sports Club of the Year
Lincoln Roses Hockey Club

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Veteran Sportsperson of the Year
Donald Sutherland (Lincoln)

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Lifetime Achievement Award
Gerry Wilson (North Hykeham near Lincoln)

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County Sports Organisation of the Year
Lincolnshire County Netball

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Sports Educator of the Year
Sharon Sivakumaran, Cherry Willingham Community School

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Sports Volunteer of the Year
Ann Boulton (Barrow upon Humber)

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Active for Health
Darren Bunn (Boston) [Samantha Millson on his behalf]

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Contribution to Physical Activity
Ross Cameron and Kara Belton (Mablethorpe) [Kara pictured with guest]

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— Jon Grubb is the new chairman of Lincolnshire Sports Partnership. He grew up in Louth and returned to the county in 2005 to take the editor’s chair at the Lincolnshire Echo. He left in summer of 2011 to start his own PR company, Grubb Street Media. His is married and lives near Sleaford with his wife, two children and two dogs.

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Few would deny that it has been a fantastic summer of sport. The number of people participating in or celebrating sport makes impressive reading.

More than 100,000 people, from toddlers to pensioners, lined the streets of Lincolnshire to watch the Olympic torch’s journey through our great county. Around 8,000 people cheered the torch at Yarborough Sports Ground and a further 20,000 enjoyed the Olympic-inspired party on the Brayford. A thousand children from schools across the county competed in the Lincolnshire School Games at the Lincoln Castle Academy in June.

The individual stories were no less impressive. Our 150 torch bearers had stories that inspired us all and our sixteen home-grown athletes who competed in the Games and Paralympic Games filled us with pride and brought home five medals. Lincolnshire even welcomed, hosted and supported the Egyptian Paralympic team as they battled their way to 15 medals including four golds.

But now the sun has set on a remarkable summer of sport its time to think about how we ensure that spirit is not lost.

Lincolnshire Sports Partnership is working hard to turn the rhetoric of legacy pledges into reality. Already the LSP is in the process of setting up an Egyptian Paralympic Team Trust Group to continue the link with the Egyptian Paralympic Team and sports clubs in Egypt, in the hope that this relationship can benefit the county culturally and economically as well as in a sporting arena.

The LSP’s Sportivate programme is giving young people aged between 14 and 25 the chance to receive six weeks’ coaching in a sport of their choice – from rowing in Boston to wheelchair basketball in Louth and baseball in Lincoln, to girl’s cricket in Sleaford.

The Sportmakers programme is helping people in the community set and run their own successful sports clubs and Jog Lincolnshire is an exciting new county wide project which aims to encourage people to be more active by jogging on a regular basis.

These are just a handful of examples of where the LSP is working hard to keep the legacy alive, but we will always need the help and support of people, organisations and businesses around Lincolnshire. There are many ways of helping with financial support, time or just attending events in your community. However big or small your involvement, every bit helps ensure London 2012 lives on — not just in our memory but in our lives.