Battles against odds, hours of work to help others: the inspiring stories behind the Sussex Sports Awards winners

Active School of the Year - Little Common School

A Bexhill primary school has won Active School of the Year in this year’s Sussex Sports Awards.

Little Common School in Shepherds Close, Bexhill, won the award organised by Active Sussex at the event held at Sussex County Cricket Ground in Hove on Thursday (November 24).

The primary school has achieved School Games Platinum and its third Quality Start Premium Plus award, with validators describing PE at Little Common as ‘exemplary’.

As an active and healthy school, the school took part in the ‘Creating Active Schools’ pilot and achieved the East Sussex Healthy Schools Award with Excellence - the first school in the South of England to achieve this.

At the school, 96 percent of pupils attend an extracurricular club, 100 percent of vulnerable groups attend a club and 100 percent of pupils take part in competitions.

On receiving her award, PE lead Katie Chapman said: “Every year I drive for 100 per cent of pupils to be active.

“As we track all 620 pupils - and it is no mean feat and is quite tricky - it allows us to make sure we provide activity and challenges and target those inactive children and this year I will get all 100 percent.”

She went on to say: “It feels absolutely amazing to win this year because the other schools were fantastic in terms of what they deliver in terms of PE and sport within their schools.

“We do what we do to promote activity for pupils in our school, for families, and for the community.

“Getting children active and creating activities for them so that they find a sport they love is really important to us at Little Common.

“We believe there should be no barriers to pupils being active.”

This year 270 families took part in the school’s Get Active challenge, 120 families joined the Jubilee Jaunt and they ‘rowed’ twice around GB (over 6,000km) with their active miles.

The school sends out an ‘Our Get Active’ newsletter, which provides opportunities to share ways to keep active and healthy.

It has also managed to increase its active travel by 16 per cent and, as a result of parental engagement, shared its good practice at ‘Governor for Schools’ training and the Active Sussex PE advisory group.

Play leaders at the school ensure all pupils are active for 45 mins.

Its sensory circuits and Thrive active clubs support vulnerable pupils to access learning and the school day, providing a positive experience, improving their attendance and attainment.

Community Engagement Award - South Coast Sports

A Bognor Regis business running an Active Tots programme and offering young Ukrainian refugees free summer holiday activities has been recognised for its work.

South Coast Sports (SCS), based in Aldwick, won the Community Engagement Award at the Sussex Sports Awards on Thursday (November 24), run by Active Sussex and held at Sussex County Cricket Club in Hove.

Co-company director Ali O’Boyle said: “South Coast Sports’ desire to collaborate with other like-minded organisations and individuals sets us apart.

“We are creative problem solvers and think outside the box. Meaning we are a force to be reckoned with and we will continue to drive positive change in our active communities.”

SCS was created in 1998 by a group of like-minded friends and for the last 20+ years has been running community projects alongside their work in schools.

They work predominantly with children aged two to 12 and have made it its mission in the wake of the pandemic and increasing cost of living to ensure sport can remain both affordable and accessible for the whole community.

The Active Tots programme, designed and delivered by SCS, works on the early building blocks of life, developing fine and gross motor skills, communication and language.

These busy Saturday sessions in turn fund midweek sessions in other locations and enables SCS to offer discounted sessions to the pre-school community.

SCS proposed Ukrainian refugee children be invited to attend holiday activities for free through the extension of the HAF programme and this took place in the summer.

With an incredibly short timeframe to pull this off, the small team worked around the clock to ensure everything was in place.

SCS then created their own fund to enable children to integrate into their local and school communities by funding these children to participate in extracurricular and community sports.

At the awards, head coach James Belding spoke about their work with Ukrainian children who had to flee their homes and come to Sussex.

“It is definitely something that has been eye opening as we have not had experience of dealing with that situation,” he said.

“It sounds cheesy, but to see the children get involved, whether they can speak English or not, is fantastic and maybe more so that the children currently in our sessions welcomed them in as well. It was very rewarding.”

He added: “We are really proud of this achievement and the work that we do and the people and children we help.”

SCS have a long history of supporting and developing girls football opportunities and at Easter they ran girls only football camps in Mid Sussex, with a female only coaching team.

After the historic victory of the Lionesses, it offered ‘girls go free’ at its three day Horsham Football Camps, providing more than 30 free places.

It also sponsors Bognor Regis FC U14 Girls, and Bognor Regis U10 Girls receive free training with SCS this season.

One of the many impactful projects South Coast Sports runs is the Girls Give It A Go project, targeting teen girls who are notoriously hard to engage.

The project focused on offering a wide range of active opportunities, in the hope they would find something they would enjoy and engage with and had a huge impact on a small number of young women.

Heath Improvement Award

A Hastings doctor and his colleague were worthy winners at this year’s Sussex Sports Awards.

Dr David Fox and Kirsten Adams from High Glades Medical Practice in Upper Church Road, St. Leonards-on-sea were named winners of the Health Improvement Award on Thursday (November 24).

The pair were nominated for their work in recognising the importance of physical activity for health and how it can support the reduction of health inequalities in Hastings.

Dr Fox approached Public Health to develop this project and through collective conversations the new service was proposed.

Funding was awarded through Hastings Primary Care Network to Active Hastings to employ a GP physical activity link worker, a youth PA link worker and a social marketing and communications officer.

The aim of this service is to increase the physical activity levels of young people and adults who are not achieving the recommended level of physical activity, in particular those who are considered inactive.

The service focuses on people with long term health conditions and people living in the areas of the town with the worst health and wellbeing outcomes.

A recent Mind and Muscle programme for men received 84 sign ups from the text alert system for a programme of 12 and additional courses had to be added.

Inclusion & Diversity Award

Freedom Leisure Healthy Communities Brighton & Hove has won this year’s Rix & Kay Solicitors LLP Inclusion & Diversity Award at the Sussex Sports Awards.

The team has had an unrelenting focus on inclusion and diversity during the past 12 months, focusing on supporting women and girls, people living with disabilities and special educational needs and low income families.

It has worked strategically to form partnerships in the city to firstly understand the needs of the people at the heart of inclusion and diversity and secondly to create the environment and activity to support these people to become active.

Carrie Reynold from Freedom Leisure said: “We have been struggling recently during covid and the energy crisis, but we have tried our very best to find partners and new ways of working in Brighton and Hove.

“Working with partners and organisations like Active Sussex, we have been able to keep the majority of our activities at low cost, which has been really important.

“But what we found out with all the activities we have provided is that ongoing support, mentorship, the social angles, what we provide around those activities rather than just providing the activity has been so incredibly important.

“Without that team we would not have won this award.”

Alongside working with partners, the team launched a 20-week pilot programme to engage women who wanted to be more active.

In total, 36 different women took part in the pilot, with noticeable improvements in both physical and mental health.

This led to an instructor completing the EMD UK / This Girl Can training and the session becoming a permanent feature in the class timetable.

Another focus has been on the perinatal journey for parents and how physical activity is a pivotal part of this, delivering pre and post-natal fitness sessions.

They also organised a baby Expo event at the King Alfred, attracting 180 people, bringing together organisations across the city which support expectant and new families.

Another project was funding inclusive multi-sports day at Moulsecoomb Leisure Centre.

Darryl Keech, area manager from Freedom Leisure, said: “A parent of two children with disabilities approached the team to express the shared difficulty amongst families in finding appropriate activity for children with disabilities, particularly after COVID.

“The team worked with AMAZE, PAC and Active Sussex to access seed funding to initiate inclusive multi-sports days.

“Over 50 different families engaged with this activity, and the team have worked further with participants to initiate disability inclusive public swimming and deaf friendly swimming lessons, as well as inclusive badminton sessions.”

With partners, the team has developed an annual wellbeing fair at Moulsecoomb to support low income families, alongside low cost activity being delivered out of all sites in the city.

This, alongside projects to support the LGBTQ community, refugees and others, has seen 7,500 people take part in focus activities.

Outstanding Contribution to Sport & Physical Activity Award - Jackie Wood

A sports coach at Freedom Leisure in Brighton & Hove has won this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Sport and Physical Activity award.

Jackie Wood was recognised for her dedication and hardwork at the Sussex Sports Awards on Thursday, November 24.

Jackie’s career in the physical activity sector spans more than 20 years and has seen her work for Brighton Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, Active Sussex, EMD UK and recently for Freedom Leisure.

Her skills span many coaching qualifications, including walking netball and rugby, and many health qualifications, including Otago.

On receiving the award, Jackie said: “I feel a little overwhelmed.

“The opportunities I have been given by the different organisations I have worked with have been great.

“Being able to help people who would not normally be physically active and seeing the difference you can make… I am very lucky.

“We are a leisure trust, but one of our priorities is working with what we call target groups because we want to help people cross that threshold.

“It is absolutely fine to do a walking netball session or walking football or I coach something called Boccia, which is a brilliant paralympic sport and it is so inclusive.”

Carrie Reynold nominated Jackie for the award and said: “Any person that comes into contact with her, has responded positively to her warmth, enthusiasm and ability to make change.

“Jackie has been a key mover and shaker for disability sport and inclusion.

“From the inception of the Sussex Disability Sports Network, Jackie has been a font of knowledge and she has been instrumental in the success of many inclusion programmes.”

Jackie provided event management support at the Sussex Parallel Youth Games, led on the dance element of the Games, and more recently started and sustained a disability sports movement in Brighton & Hove.

“Where Jackie goes, the opportunity follows and she has undoubtedly created physical activity opportunities for thousands of individuals,” added Carrie.

Most recently she has been heavily involved in the Active Sussex CYP Forum, supporting targeted, place-based work within Moulsecoomb and Whitehawk, ensuring Freedom Leisure is represented at the forum.

Her long list of accomplishments this year includes establishing a monthly fun day for families with those who have disabilities, an inclusive public swimming session, walking netball, VIABLE sessions for people with visual impairments, boccia sessions, deaf specific swimming lessons, This Girl Can exercise sessions and badminton sessions with Sport in Mind.

Jackie has had over 7,000 attendances this year alone as part of her Healthy Communities role in the city and has ensured a sustainable approach to all of these projects by working with volunteers.

Sports Personality of the Year - Will Bayley

A Paralympian table tennis player from Peacehaven has been named Sports Personality of the Year at the Sussex Sports Awards.

Will Bayley, 34, who is ranked number one in the world, was praised for his dedication to table tennis at the award on Thursday at Sussex County Cricket Club in Hove.

Teresa Bennett, head of development and coach at Brighton Table Tennis said: “Will Bayley is without a doubt the biggest personality in table tennis.

“He lights up the room whenever he arrives at Brighton Table Tennis Club and we are so lucky to have him training and giving so much to the club.

“His dedication to his sport is unbelievable and he is having the most amazing year, reclaiming his number one in the world ranking in individual class 7 Para table tennis. The last time he was number one was in 2019!”

Will, who previously starred on Strictly Come Dancing, was born with arthrogryposis, which affects all four of his limbs, and then when he was seven he was diagnosed with cancer.

During his recovery he began playing table tennis after his grandmother bought him his first bat and table.

Since then he has taken the sports world by storm, winning four Paralympic medals, including gold In Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020. Now, he is going for gold at Paris 2024.

At the awards, Will said: “To be here back in Sussex and hear all the good work that is happening around Sussex is quite amazing.

“I would not be here without all the volunteers and people who believe in me. I am at the best club I think in the world, Brighton Table Tennis Club

“Everyone here has believed in me and they have given me a chance to flourish and I feel free again at 34 that I can play free table tennis.”

It has been a successful year for the father-of-two, winning the Slovenia Open, Czech Open and Finnish Open in his international competitions and, more locally, for the first time he became the Sussex Closed mens champion.

This is the first time in the history of Sussex championships that a para player has become a champion in an able-bodied event.

Yet he still has time to help others develop their skills.

“The club has benefited so much from having him around most days. Not only do the juniors and adults have the opportunity to see him train and be motivated by his sheer enthusiasm and energy for the game, he also is always willing to give anyone of any standard some tips and practice,” said Teresa.

Will regularly coaches the juniors on a Monday night, sharing his invaluable experiences of both playing and the mental side of the game.

He is also an incredible role model and influence on four young up and coming local para players that are training at the club.

“Will is an amazing ambassador for BTTC and para table tennis. Every time he comes to the club he is always smiling and upbeat and is without a doubt one of the most positive people I have met in my life.

“His infectious personality rubs off on everyone and even if someone at the club is feeling down that day, Will has the ability to lift their spirits.”

Volunteer of the Year - Eric Douglin

The founder of the World Club Basketball Tournament held in Hastings has been named as Volunteer of the Year at the Sussex Sports Awards.

Eric Douglin, 59, started the UK’s only international basketball event for senior male players in 2015 and since then has seen hundreds of players from all around the world come to Hastings to play.

Incredibly, Eric managed to organise this year’s event despite being rushed to hospital at the start of the year with a ruptured bowel which led to immediate lifesaving surgery and a stoma bag being fitted.

Eric said: “It is fantastic to win the award. I am quite overwhelmed that I got to the finals let alone win it.

“It has been a bit of a tough year, what with going through an emergency lifesaving operation so to come back to do the tournament this year and to win this award is fantastic.”

He added: “Doing the tournament was my therapy. We hadn’t done it for two years because of covid and I wasn’t planning on doing it again, but it gave me a bit of light to come back.”

And he confirmed that plans are underway to run the basketball tournament in 2023.

This year, the self-funded tournament took place on September 3 and 4 and saw teams from the UK, joined by teams from the USA, Lithuania, Italy, and Canada.

The event was featured on BBC TV and overseas media, raising the profile of Sussex basketball, the community and coping with invisible illness.

It also included a free youth coaching session hosted by one of the competing teams, New York Court Kings, which was attended by more than 40 young Sussex players.

This was a unique opportunity for players to receive coaching by overseas professional players, and then be able to watch two days of international competition in their county.

Eric said: “The main thing was the coach clinic for kids. To see the kids' faces being coached by national superstars was absolutely amazing.”