Katherine McNaughton Honoured
Sporting volunteers from across Argyll and Bute were honoured this afternoon in a ceremony at the Council headquarters in Kilmory.
The third annual Sports Volunteer Awards took place as part of Volunteer Week. The event is a partnership between the Volunteer Centre and Argyll and Bute Council, and recognizes the valued work that volunteers contribute to community life in the area.
Nominations were received from across Argyll and Bute for people and sports organizations who have ‘gone the extra mile’ and made a positive contribution to their local or wider community.
Katherine McNaughton won the category "Junior Volunteer of the Year" for her contribution to the development of swimming on Islay. Katherine has been a volunteer helper at Islay and Jura Dolphins Swimming Club since the age of 14 and has gained teaching qualifications in swimming to help others. She regularly mentors younger swimmers and teaches for the local swimming pool. Katherine is involved in organizing and running competitions and is a role model for both junior and senior members of the club.
Councillor Douglas Philand, Argyll and Bute’s spokesperson for Arts, Culture, Leisure and Sport, said all nominees for the awards should be congratulated.
“These awards recognise those people who give up their own time for nothing more than the satisfaction of enabling others to enjoy sport,” he said.
“Many hundreds of people of all ages have benefitted from their efforts, and today’s event was just a small way of saying thank you to them.
“We as a Council are taking great strides in trying to further improve access to and enjoyment of sport and physical activity for all our residents.
“Several weeks ago we agreed our Sport and Physical Activity Strategy 2009-2014, which seeks to maximise the opportunities for people of all ages and abilities in Argyll and Bute to participate in sport, other physical activity and outdoor sports and learning.
“The commitment and dedication of the hundreds of sporting volunteers across Argyll and Bute is ensuring that we are taking big strides in this regard, and I congratulate and thank them for their efforts.”
The Sports Volunteer Awards are nominated by members of the public, sports organizations, Sports Development staff and Active Schools who value the contribution the winners and nominees have made to the development of sport in Argyll and Bute over the past year.
Argyll and Bute has an estimated 24% of the population involved in sports volunteering, 10% higher than the rest of Scotland (Sportscotland Adult Participation in Sport, 2008).
