Teignbridge Sports Personality of the Year winners
Local sportspeople, clubs and volunteers have been celebrating their success at Teignbridge Council’s annual Sports Personality of the Year Awards, which saw ultra runner Kevin Carr, crowned overall Teignbridge Sports Personality of the Year.
The popular gala awards ceremony was held on Friday 4 December at the Langstone Cliff Hotel in Dawlish Warren. Mr Carr also picked up a Special Award created in his name for his epic feat of becoming the fastest man to run 16,300 miles around the world.
Kevin ran more than a marathon a day every day for almost two years, crossing 26 countries and getting through 16 pairs of shoes to complete the feat. He began his voyage at Haytor on Dartmoor in July 2013 and returned on 9 April 2015 after 621 days, one quicker than the previous record held by Australian Tom Denniss.
Before embarking on his circumnavigation, Mr Carr had been working as a personal trainer and as a barman at the Carpenter’s Arms in the Dartmoor village of Ilsington, near his departure point.
The Teignbridge Sports Personality of the Year Awards saw prizes given across a range of different categories, representing the diversity of sporting talent in the district.
The winners were:
Overall Sports Personality of the Year Award
Sponsored by Kitsons
Kevin Carr
Services to Sport in Community
Sponsored by Sport England's Sports Bug
1st Angela Rimmer – Teignmouth Thunderbirds Netball
2nd Peter Cross – England Rugby Mascot
3rd Darren Fisher – Ogwell Football Club
Services to Sport in Education
Sponsored by Bayside Graphics
1st Keira Pearce- Teign School
2nd Peter O’Neill – Martial Arts for Fun
3rd Chantelle Prowse – Teign School
Volunteer of the Year
Sponsored by Lamars Decorating Contractors Ltd
1st Simon Glanfield – Buckland AFC
2nd Hayley Cooper – Newton Abbot RFC Junior Section
3rd Emma Vernau – Newton Abbot Somersaults Gymnastics Club
Coach/Manager of the Year
Sponsored by Action Coach
1st Mark Taylor – Bovey Tracey Cricket Club
2nd Julie Ingham-Hill – South Dartmoor Community College
3rd Kim Webber-Marks – Teignmouth Beach Life Saving Club
Junior Sportswoman of the Year
Sponsored by Devon Football Association
1st Olivia Dobson - South Dartmoor Community College
2nd Ellie Ingham-Hill – South Dartmoor Community College
3rd Heather Tomlinson – Coombeshead Academy
Junior Sportsman of the Year
Sponsored by Seymour Horwell Volvo specialists
1st Alfie Collier – Newton Abbot Somersault Gymnastics Club
2nd Billy Green – Newton Abbot College
3rd Thomas Manley – Newton Abbot Swimming & Water Polo Club
Young Person’s Service to Physical Education and Sport
Sponsored by Dartmoor School Sports Partnership
1st Holly Flory and Megan Johns – Newton Abbot College
2nd Katherine Baker – Martial Arts for Fun
3rd Alfie Lang – South Dartmoor Community College
Club of the Year
Sponsored by Active Devon
1st Mid Devon Cycling Club
2nd Dainton Park Golf Club
3rd Teign Hockey Club
Junior Team of the Year
Sponsored by Langstone Cliff Hotel
1st South Dartmoor Community College u15 Girls Cricket Team
2nd Liverton Football Club u13
3rd Coombeshead Academy u14 Futsal Team
Senior Team of the Year
Sponsored by Rotary in the South West Peninsula
1st Teignmouth RFC First Team
2nd Buckland AFC First Team
3rd Chudleigh Cricket Club First Team
Senior Sportswoman of the Year
Sponsored by Devon RFU
1st Karen Watkins – Triathlon
2nd Sue Hutchings – Sue Hutchings
3rd Jackie Brooks – Hockey
Senior Sportsman of the Year
Sponsored by M and Y Media Productions
1st Matthew Langworthy – Cycling
2nd Ian Hutchings – Life Saving
3rd Donald Brooks – Triathlon
The new Sports Personality Special Awards
Sponsored by Active Mums, Breeze FM, Devon Youth Games and the Mid Devon Advertiser
Rob Breslan’s Legacy Lives On
Chudleigh Sports Centre
Dartmoor School Sports Partnership
Kevin Carr, ultra-marathon runner
An outstanding achievement award went to Miah Butterfield who won the 2015 award for Sportsperson of the Year with a physical/learning disability.
Cllr Jeremy Christophers, leader of Teignbridge District Council, said: “This year’s Sports Personality of the Year was our biggest and best yet with more than 270 attendees. As ever, a roomful of sports people made for an amazing atmosphere. The generosity of our sponsors means that this event is cost neutral to the council – we’d like to thank them all for their support. I’d like to say a huge well done and congratulations to all the winners and the nominees for their outstanding achievements. In our eyes, everyone was a winner on Friday night.”
Cllr George Gribble, Teignbridge District Council’s Executive member for Recreation and Leisure, said: “It was a superb evening, full of celebration, inspiration and emotion. Teignbridge is committed to helping people get active and remain active and this event highlight those unsung heroes who contribute positively to sport and community life."
The evening was hosted by Breeze FM DJ Ben Moseby, who volunteered his time to host the ceremony and charity sports raffle.
Each year the raffle supports a charity chosen by Teignbridge Council’s Chairman, currently Cllr Mike Hocking. £545 was raised for the Raffle for the Chairman’s Charity which is The Helen Foundation. £440 was raised at the auction for the Devon Youth Games Charitable Trust and a further £437 was raised later on in the evening for the Devon Youth Games Give me ‘5’ Campaign.
Cllr Mike Hocking, Teignbridge District Council’s current Chairman, said: “The evening was a great success borne out by the numbers attending - a great representation of our population all with one common focus on sport. The Special Award in honour of the late Rob Breslan was a very emotional moment and one I found hard to follow when I had to present awards right after.
“Overall winner Kevin Carr was well deserved a true sportsman and just shows what you can achieve when you put your mind over your body, and the big ‘ah’ factor was when Alfie Collier won Junior Sportsman of the Year – a really lovely moment! All in all a brilliant night. Well done to Teignbridge, the winners and nominees, the sponsors and big thank you to those who contributed to the raffle and auction.”
Many local companies and organisations did their bit to sponsor the awards in 2015. They are:
Kitsons (main sponsor)
Sport England’s Sports Bug
Bayside Graphics
Action Coach Business Coaching
Lamars Decorating Contractors Ltd
Teignbridge Leisure
Active Devon
Langstone Cliff Hotel
Rotary in the South Peninsula
Devon Football Association
Dartmoor School Sports Partnership
Seymour Horwell Volvo specialists
Devon RFU
M and Y Media Productions
Active Mums
Breeze FM
Devon Youth Games
Mid Devon Advertiser
Pinnacle Photo Agency
Stage Engage
James Cross, Managing Partner at Kitsons said: “On behalf of everyone at Kitsons I would like to say a huge well done to all the category winners and students who received commendations.
"The evening was extremely successful and the awards were a fitting tribute to many of the region’s brightest sporting stars, recognising and rewarding a number of athletes, teams, volunteers, coaches and unsung heroes for their hard work and dedication to sport, health and physical activity across Teignbridge and beyond.
"A huge thanks must also go to Teignbridge District Council for bringing everyone together for this celebration of achievement.”
Pictures from the night are available to view on Teignbridge's Facebook page www.facebook.com/Teignbridgeleisure
