Sporting heroes recognised at Inspiration & Participation awards

Maidenhead’s sporting heroes were honoured at the first annual Get Berkshire Active Inspiration & Participation Awards ceremony on Friday.

Ten awards were won by clubs, schools and individuals from Maidenhead and the Royal Borough for inspiring others to take up physical activity, or excellence in sport.

Winners included Paralympic triple gold medallist Sophie Christiansen, who took home the Sports Personality of the Year Award and Chris Meaden, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for her commitment to the health and wellbeing of those with a disability in sport.

The nominees and winners were joined at the Madejski Stadium in Reading by Olympic hockey bronze medallist Hannah MacLeod, rowing gold and silver medallist Zac Purchase, kayaking bronze medallist Jon Schofield and rowing silver medallist Rob Williams, who presented awards.

Hannah said: “We’ve had such a great sporting year and it’s important that we honour those that take part in sport, as well as those whose time and dedication enables others to get active.

"We were overwhelmed with the number of entries and the competition was fierce.

"The judges had a difficult job to select the eventual winners and our thanks to all those who nominated people."

Scroll through a gallery of photos from the ceremony above and see a list of award winners below.

For the full story see tomorrow's Advertiser.

Club of the Year: SportsAble - Multi-Sport

Volunteer of the Year: John Wanklyn - Maidenhead RFC

School Games Award - Organisation: The Newlands Girls School - PE Department

Sports Project of the Year: Longridge Sportivate Programme - Maidenhead & Marlow

Disability Project of the Year: SportsAble 2012 Legacy Outreach Programme - Maidenhead

Health Project of the Year: 'So Much Improvement with a Little Exercise' (S.M.I.L.E) - Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

School Games Award - Individual: James Mandry - Newbury

Young Leader of the Year: Fadumo Olow - Slough

Team of the Year - Senior: The Berkshire School Games Organisers - Berkshire

Team of the Year - Junior: The Pinewood Tumbling Squad - Wokingham

Coach of the Year: Matt Johnson - Reading

Sports Personality - Junior Male: Alexandre Craninx - Newbury

Sports Personality - Junior Female: Rebecca Keating - Wokingham and Reading

Sports Personality of the Year: Sophie Christiansen - Team GB Paralympics Equestrian

Lifetime Achievement, Recognition Awards: Gina MacGregor - Netball in Maidenhead, John Greaves - SportsAble, Doug Cook – Newbury,  Don Werner – Wokingham, Les Stevens – Wokingham,  Harry Wild – Reading.

Lifetime Achievement Overall Winner: Chris Meaden - SportsAble

John Madejski Berkshire Legacy Award: Derek Peaple - Newbury