Report by Rhiannon Philps
Last weekend, committee members and coaches from Lincoln Wellington enjoyed an evening at the England Athletics Volunteer Awards for the East Midlands region.
We were nominated for the Club of the Year award, which celebrates clubs who have worked to improve their member experience and adopt an inclusive approach.
Chairperson Denise Timmis had the honour of presenting the first prize of the evening for Newcomer to Volunteering. But then it was soon time for the Club of the Year award.
And we were delighted to come away as the Runner Up, behind well-deserved winners Mansfield Harriers.
The judges were particularly impressed with how Lincoln Wellington has introduced the funetics programme into the club, allowing children as young as 6 to develop some basic athletic skills and have a good time while doing so! This has helped the club’s coaches to create child-centred sessions and map out a pathway for young athletes who are starting out on their athletics journey.
The club was also praised for how it has recruited older athletes into coaching, including university students and teenagers working towards their Duke of Edinburgh award.
Sylvia Philps and Denise Timmis collected the award and spoke about the benefits of the funetics programme for young athletes, as well as how it has helped encourage more people to volunteer at the club.
This award is down to a great team effort by everyone at Lincoln Wellington, so a big thank you to all athletes, coaches, committee members and supporters for your contributions over the past year and more!