Blackpool's grand celebration of community sport

The awards, presented for over 25 years, celebrate the ded­i­ca­tion and commitment of coaches, teams and vol­un­teers as well as recog­nis­ing out­stand­ing achievement.The glittering event, sponsored by Story Contracting, will recognise indi­vid­u­als and teams in 11 sep­a­rate categories.These include Community Sports Club of the Year, Young Achiever of the Year and the prestigious Wilkinson Sword Award for outstanding sporting achievement, previously won by Andrew Flintoff, Brian Rose, Shelly Woods and Steven Croft.Coun. Maria Kirkland, Blackpool Council’s Cabinet Member for Third Sector Engagement and Leisure Services, said: “These awards are about celebrating people who go the extra mile to get people into sport as well as celebrating the amazing sporting talent that Blackpool has to offer.“Sport can have a huge impact on helping people to stay healthy and active and we have excellent sports groups in Blackpool made up of fantastic coaches and volunteers.”Civil engineering infrastructure company Story Contracting is sponsoring the event for the first time.The ceremony begins at 6.30pm and tickets are priced £7.50, including a hot buffet. They are available from local leisure centres or by calling 478474.