THE achievements of the borough's sports people have been celebrated at a glittering ceremony.

Athletes, coaches, volunteers, schools, sports clubs and unsung heroes, who dedicate their time to sport and physical activity in Trafford, were chosen as worthy champions by a panel of judges following a round of public nominations.

Three time Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton was guest of honour at the Trafford Sports Awards, held at Hotel Football, Old Trafford, on September 8.

Along with their accolades, winners were also awarded funding through the Trafford Active Fund - set up following the 2015 ASICS Greater Manchester  Marathon by Trafford Council in partnership with Xtra Mile Events, and overseen by Trafford Sport and Physical Activity Partnership - to support the sporting careers of the borough’s most promising young athletes.

The fund receives £1 of the entry fee from each participant in the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon and the Manchester Half Marathon.

Since its inauguration the fund has awarded over £7,000 to well deserving athletes and sports clubs throughout Trafford to help young people succeed in their chosen sport.

Joanne Hyde, corporate director transformation and resources at Trafford Council, said: “These fantastic people make a huge difference to the lives of residents in Trafford every single day. We’re delighted to be able to celebrate their achievements, while also offering them a fantastic opportunity, through the Trafford Active Fund, to realise their full sporting potential.

"Our support for clubs, coaches and volunteers at a grass roots level will also help to ensure that our residents are amongst the most active.”

The winners included a team of dedicated volunteers from the ‘Walk Trafford’ project who bagged the prestigious Volunteer Year of the Award.

Volunteers Ann Von Essen, Barbara Riley, Jim Mullen, John Stretton and Anne Shepard from Boundary House Medical Centre in Sale Moor were nominated for their hard work organising urban health walks from the surgery, engaging hundreds of people over the last few months.

The GP walking group is part of a wider project called ‘Walk Trafford’ led by charity City of Trees which as well as planting 3 million trees across the region, and bringing woods back into use for the community, aims to connect people to the nature on their doorstep.

The five enthusiastic Boundary House volunteers lead a walk every Tuesday starting from the surgery at 1.30pm exploring the local area and enabling them to not only keep active but make new friends and get to know the local area better.

Dr Yvonne Burke from Boundary House Medical Centre said “The physical health, mental health and social benefits of walking are really clear. We wanted our community to have the opportunity of joining a local easy access walking group and for it to become one of the options open to improve health”.

“City of Trees led the first six walks and trained our walk leaders which has enabled the group to be self-sustaining and continue into the future. We are working on plans to expand this project across GP practices in Trafford. New members are always welcome!”

At the awards ceremony on Friday (8th September) Xtra Mile Events announced that a further £40,000 of funding is now available for the consideration of grants, and will be awarded twice a year at the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon and the Manchester Half Marathon. 

Announcing the further funding, Sarah Bennett, Race Director of the ASICS Greater  Manchester Marathon said: “Xtra Mile Events are delighted to be involved with the Trafford Active Fund. It’s an initiative which reflects the values we have as an organisation which includes supporting the local community and the development of sport within it.

A full list of the winners is:

* Winner of the Changing Lifestyles Recognition Award: Sue Adams.

* Winner of Commitment to Sport and PE: Manor Academy.

* Winner of Volunteer of the Year: The Boundary House Walking Group Volunteers.

* Coach of the Year: Scott Bambrick.

* Club of the Year: Urmston Sports Club.

* Winner of Unsung Hero in Sport Award: Joseph Jones.

* Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year: Joshua Sutcliffe.

* Sports Achiever of the Year: Lora Fachie.

Members of the public are asked to put forward nominations for the Trafford Sports Awards, which have been running for the last 18 years.