Avon's Penny Shears named as finalist in Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Community Sport and Recreation Awards
Badminton Coach Penny Shears has been named as a finalist for the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Community Sport and Recreation Awards 2024.
Yate Racketeers Junior Badminton Club are delighted to confirm that Penny Shears has made the shortlist for Volunteer of the Year at the Community Sport and Recreation Awards 2024, a nationally-recognised awards programme organised by the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
Nominated for taking on the running of the established club over 35 years ago and dedication to coaching young people, Penny is one of three individuals shortlisted for Volunteer of the Year.
The winner will be crowned at an awards ceremony on 8th March 2024 at Headingley Stadium in Leeds, the home of Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
On being named a finalist, Penny Shears who lives in Downend / Staple Hill said:
"I'm honoured to have been shortlisted for this National Award and look forward to attending the Awards Ceremony in March. I became involved in coaching badminton in 1987 when my two children got involved and decided to get myself qualified as a badminton coach. We moved sessions from Downend School to King Edmund School in 1996 and never looked back. I've recently enjoyed seeing former players bringing their own children to the club some 35 years later and being surprised to see me coaching and still running the club.’
The Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Community Sport and Recreation Awards have been running for over 25 years, and are an annual celebration of the grassroots clubs, organisations and individuals that help facilitate and support activity in our communities. The awards celebrate the full breadth of sport and recreation, with previous winners including Panathlon Challenge, Brighton Table Tennis Club, Saunton Golf Club, Middlesbrough FC Foundation, and The Legion Community Boxing Club.
Yate Racketeers Junior Badminton Club run popular weekly sessions on Saturday mornings at Yate Academy from September to April, for children aged 7-18 years old. The club has produced several county and senior league players, including Jess Hopton, who joined as an eight year old and has gone on to grace the international stage with England and was delighted to be an Olympic torch bearer for a Bristol leg in 2012.
Find out more on the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s website, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, and get involved using #CSRA2024 on Twitter.