The Sport Woking Awards recognise outstanding physical performance while also celebrating those involved in encouraging or supporting participation in sport throughout the year.
Deemed by the judging panel to have outperformed their competitors, the winners of the 2022 Sport Woking Awards are as follows:
Ellen Yates, West Hill Golf Club
2022 Sports Personality of the Year, sponsored by Boz’s Fruit & Veg
Ellen, who lives in Horsell and does most of her practice at West Hill Golf Club in Brookwood, has received the 2022 Sports Personality of the Year award for her performance on the golf course.
Ellen is a member of the England Golf Girls squad (2021-2023), and in July 2022 achieved second place (individual strokeplay) in the European Girls Team Championship while also helping her team reach fourth place overall.
On receiving her award, Ellen said: “I feel very honoured to receive this award and very grateful to the sponsors. I’d like to thank the PE department at Woking High School for their support during my time there and everyone at Surrey Ladies Golf for their support throughout my junior years. Thank you to everyone at West Hill Golf Club, Ping Europe, Titleist, to the entire team at England Golf, thanks to my coach Ben Clayton, and of course, the biggest thank you of all goes to my parents for all the hours and miles to get us where we are today!”
Ben Porter, Woking Gymnastics Club
Young Sports Personality of the Year, sponsored by Boz’s Fruit & Veg
Gymnast, Ben Porter, aged 13 from Woking, has received the 2022 Young Sports Personality of the Year award for his accomplishments throughout the year. Ben is the current U14 all-around British champion and brought home five medals for Great Britain from the 2022 Berlin Cup.
Ben follows in the footsteps of his older brother Oliver, who was crowned Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2020, also for his achievements in gymnastics.
Ben said: “I have really enjoyed my gymnastics this year and I’m proud to have represented Great Britain. I train with both of my brothers, Josh and Oli, at Woking Gymnastics Club, and they really motivate and support me. My coach, Craig, also always helps me a lot. He helps me to keep improving and I’m really looking forward to working hard and hopefully winning some more competitions in 2023. Thank you to Sport Woking for this award.”
Simon Trickett, Goldsworth Park Cycle Track
Community Contribution of the Year, sponsored by Seymours Woking
The Goldsworth Park Cycle Track, which includes a fully asphalted pump track, a circuit of small mounds to help cyclists generate momentum, an all-weather mountain bike circuit and a grass circuit, opened to the public in May last year.
Simon (Si to those that know him), was instrumental in the development of the track, helping to secure funding from British Cycling and building a community of cyclist’s enthusiasts who use the track regularly.
Simon said: “This award has come as a complete surprise and is fantastic to receive, but the best reward is seeing so many children enjoying the new facility.”
Street Vibes Dance School
Team of the Year, sponsored by Woking Football Club
Not only has the dance school grown in size since its move to the Eastwood Leisure Centre but multiple Street Vibes crews have secured prize winning positions at national and international championship events in 2022.
In June, 39 pupils travelled to the Dance World Cup in Spain, where they picked up a gold medal, two silvers, a bronze, a fourth and a sixth from their six dances across the genres of hip hop and commercial. Street Vibes’ collective success makes them worthy winners of the 2022 Team of the Year Award.
Speaking about their World Cup victory Carla Crowley, who set up Street Vibes 21 years ago, said: “Our dancers were amazing, and the results showed it against stiff competition. They trained hard to be selected and then were a credit to their school and their country with their winning performances.”
James McCloud, Parkrun, Junior Parkrun and Goodgym
Volunteer of the Year, sponsored by Volunteer Woking
James McCloud, a 47-year-old senior sales negotiator from Woking is the winner of the 2022 Sport Woking Volunteer of the Year award. James has volunteered 204 times on local community missions with GoodGym including 87 times with Junior Parkrun.
He is an England Athletics Licenced Run Leader and now also, Run Director at Woking Junior Parkrun. Personally, he is training for the Surrey Half in March 2023, which he hopes to complete in under 90 mins.
Speaking about his volunteer work, James said: “Through my involvement with Woking Junior Parkrun and GoodGym Woking, it is a privilege to be able to support young runners and other community causes which I value highly.”
Annette Covey, 5K Your Way Move Against Cancer
Health and Wellbeing Champion, sponsored by ShyneFest
Annette is an Ambassador for Woking 5k Your Way Move Against Cancer, which takes place on the last Saturday of every month, 9am in Woking Park. Her role is to encourage cancer patients, carers, family, friends to be active, share peer support and socialise in the cafe after parkrun.
Annette is also a licensed guide runner for the visually impaired and a mental health champion for a local running club where she has led ‘run and talk’ social runs. More recently Annette has led a postvention walk for the suicide bereaved and is planning to lead further postvention walks in 2023.
Annette’s extensive work to help people heal through sport led to several nominations and the judges agreed that Annette is a worthy recipient of the 2022 Health and Wellbeing Champion award.
In response Annette said: “It means a lot to receive this recognition. I very much enjoy volunteering as an Ambassador and being part of this Woking community event, and also being part of the wider 5k Your Way Move Against Cancer initiative nationwide. I would like to say a big thank you to the team at Woking parkrun, parkrun UK and all the parkrunners and community who make us so welcome, provide support and encouragement every month.”
Woking Wheels for All
Inclusive Sport award, sponsored by Freedom Leisure
Woking Wheels for All won the 2020 Inclusive Sport Award and has once again captured the attention of the Sport Woking judges for inspiring individuals with their incredible expertise and positive 'can do' attitude while also treating participants with the utmost care.
The team has enabled hundreds of people with disabilities in the Woking area to achieve the unachievable and works with children as young as three years olds to adults in their 90s.
The participants are outside, enjoying the physical and mental benefits that riding a bike can bring. As well as this, Wheels for All are working with day centres, charitable organisations, educational establishments and with families whose children have differing needs.
Jayne Pritchard, a volunteer with Woking Wheels for All, said: “Inclusivity is the reason that we enjoy being volunteers at Wheels for All Woking. Being able to help cyclists with differing needs enjoy the benefits that cycling provides to both physical and mental health, in a safe environment, is very rewarding. Seeing the delight on participants faces and the weekly improvements is very satisfying, therefore we are delighted to receive recognition and to have won the Inclusive Sport Award again.”
Gary Nicholl, Meadow Sports FC
Outstanding Service to Sport, sponsored by Seymours Woking
Gary Nicholl from Horsell has received the 2022 Outstanding Service to Sport award for his work at Meadow Sports Football Club. As the U16s Girls Head Coach, Gary has increased the number of girls playing grass roots football on a weekly basis and managed the formation of several new sides.
While also taking on the role of Club Chairman this year, Gary has continued to champion the inclusivity of girls in football by installing sanitary dispensers and bins in the ladies’ toilets and introducing a new kit shaped and designed for girls.
Gary said: “I’m absolutely delighted with the award. Coaching and developing young female footballers has given me immense joy over the years. The things we’ve achieved at the club from changing the culture, improving the environment and the facilities for girls, to the number of new girls teams out on the pitches competing and having fun every week, makes me very proud.”
Woking Tigers
Trotman Trophy
The Trotman Trophy was introduced in 1971 in memory of E.T. Trotman, the first chairman of Woking’s Sports Council, making it the oldest and most prestigious sports accolade in the borough.
The Trotman Trophy recognises outstanding performance, development or services to sport and has been awarded to both individuals and clubs in the past. Notable recipients include Olympic rower, James Cracknell OBE and modern pentathlete, Kate Allenby MBE.
The honour of receiving the Trotman Trophy for 2022 goes to Woking Tigers in recognition of the club’s community work, improvements to its facilities and efforts to offer more low-cost activities in the local area.
Woking Tigers started out by providing affordable junior football and occasional cricket in Maybury and Sheerwater and has now achieved charitable status. Last year the Tigers took on the management of Sheerwater Youth Centre where it runs youth nights free of charge for both boys and girls.
The committee members, Mohammed Farooq, Fezaan Azam and Shamraiz Akhtar, have spent countless hours improving the centre where they now provide numerous affordable ladies only exercise sessions including basketball, fitness, boxing, cricket and more.
All involved work full time alongside managing junior football teams, the youth centre and delivering all these additional services to the community on a voluntary basis. On top of this the Tigers raised £23,000 for charity during a single fundraising event at the 2022 Mela in the Park.
Although leading the pack when it comes to youth development and community wellbeing, the founders are always humble about their achievements and the effort they put in, making them worthy winners of the Trotman Trophy.
Clive Moon, Chairman of Sport Woking said: “It is exactly these sorts of achievements and contributions that the trophy was introduced for, so it is richly deserved in this outstanding example - what wonderful guys.”
Contact us
For more information about the Sport Woking Awards, please contact our sports development team.
Email: sports.services@woking.gov.uk
Telephone: 01483 743 804