A Memorable Day
Thanks to everyone who attended our #Stronger Together – Quality Matters Conference & Awards Evening, hosted by BGC Wales and headline sponsored by World Youth Clubs.
It was a truly memorable day full of learning, inspiration and celebrating the best of the Boys & Girls Clubs network.
There were sporting heroes in attendance and friends from across the globe, as well as a surprise visit from a World Record holder.
The tone was set by keynote speaker Caleb Jackson, who spoke to the need for clear evidence of the impact of, not just youth clubs, but youth services generally, in order to secure the ongoing support needed to sustain the sector.
Young people from BGC Wales Youth Forum also took to the keynote stage to talk about their experiences of local youth clubs and the opportunities with the wider BGC network. They were so eloquent in expressing the difference the many opportunities had made in their lives.
In the afternoon there were informative workshops on marketing and leadership delivered by Evan McElroy (World Youth Clubs) and Emma Chivers respectively.
The Award’s Evening soon followed, and it was a truly inspirational evening, hosted by Wales, British & Irish Lions legend Colin Charvis.
Our amazing award winners were, Kat Katuszka (Outstanding Leader of the Year), Seren Kenny (Young Person of the Year) and Rebecca Sutton (Volunteer of the Year).
Perhaps the highlight of the evening, however, was the realisation, that Boys & Girls Clubs had been the starting place for no less than SIX Paris 2024 Olympians. Four boxers, Lewis Richardson, Patrick Brown, Delicious Orie and Cindy Ngamba all started at clubs linked with Boys & Girls Clubs and three are former NABGC Champions. At least two other Team GB Paris Olympians also started BGC affiliates. Triathlete Kate Waugh took her first steps in athletics at Birtley Athletic Club whilst Richard Kilty started out at Middlesborough and Cleveland Harriers. Both took part in the Boys & Girls Clubs Athletics Championships hosted by Durham BGC.
Kate Waugh provided this wonderful testimonial about where it all started for her:
“Somehow I’ve gone from running around in the dark (well it wasn’t always dark) on Tuesday and Thursday nights with Birtley Athletics club to running around the sights of Paris with thousands of people watching. How did that happen? Was it an accident? Well, it wasn’t exactly an accident, but it definitely wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been part of the grassroots sport in the northeast. Being part of a club like Birtley quite literally changed my life. That’s because I’d never have made a podium, never have got an invite to represent England in a cross-country, never experienced trips to run in some out-of-the-way places & realise how much I liked it!
So do I have well-paid British Triathlon coaches to thank for being in the Paris Olympics or do I have a bunch of incredible people who gave up evenings & weekends with no reward other than smiles (& some tears) to fill a young teenager with enough confidence to fulfil her potential and follow her dreams. Have I been lucky? Too right but I will be forever grateful for the opportunities that grassroots sport gave me and the amazing people in the northeast that make it all happen.
I don’t have the words to say how much it meant that some of those people came out to watch me in Paris. Knowing they were there cheering me on will stay with me forever. Team Birtley – the absolute best!”
We were also fortunate to have Lewis Richardson (Paris bronze medallist) present with us to take part in a Q&A about how he started at a local club and progressed to the Paris Olympics. We were also able acknowledge his amazing achievements and asked that he take those sentiments to all of the Team GB Olympians above, letting them know how proud all across the Boys & Girls Clubs network are of what they have achieved.
The evening was brought to a conclusion when around 150-years of service to Boys & Girls Clubs was acknowledged with Ray Davies, Eiron Dodd and Martin Solder all being honoured.
This amazing event could not have taken place without the support of our sponsors – KIT Sportswear, Shrimpton Developments Ltd, Decathlon and our headline sponsors World Youth Clubs.
Equally, the hard work of the team at BGC Wales, MUST be acknowledged. The whole team worked incredibly hard on the day, but around 12-months of hard work and organisation by Apple, Gayle, Cat and Grant had preceded the wonderful event that took place in Cardiff on Sunday 29th September. Thanks so much to you ALL!!
Plans are already underway for next year’s event, which is set for Sunday 28th September and will be hosted Durham BGC. We’re already excited for an equally fantastic 2025 Conference & Awards Evening.