The Sported Awards - held in London last night [Wednesday 11 June] - highlighted the vital role that local groups hold in transforming lives and strengthening communities.
Hosted by TV presenter and Sported trustee Jill Douglas, the evening also hosted the Vanessa Brown Volunteer Awards, with Gledhill scooping the Vanessa Brown Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Gledhill has supported numerous community sports organisations since joining Sported as a Volunteer Consultant in 2022, specialising in financial management, business and strategic planning, and governance.
Speaking on collecting the award, Gledhill said: "I was delighted, gobsmacked and humbled in equal measure.
"I've learned that I really enjoy working with people who are just so passionate and enthusiastic about what they do, and I enjoy being around people like that because it rubs off.
"I think the more you listen, the more you discover they are in need but don't necessarily know it. Always in the background there's the worry that they need money."
Sported’s Volunteer Experience Lead, Anneka O’Connor, said: “Simon is an outstanding example of how Sported’s Volunteer Consultants commit time, energy and passion to supporting grassroots sports clubs to impact their communities.
“He’s a deserving winner of this award as it reflects how valued he is by the groups he volunteers with, enabling them to do more as a result of him connecting with them.”
The ceremony was hosted at the headquarters of Barclays Bank in London’s Canary Wharf, celebrating the partnership between Barclays and Sported that delivers the Barclays Community Sport Fund.
Sported is a leading UK sports charity with a network of 5,000 groups and clubs delivering sport and physical activity within their communities.
The chief executive of Sported, Sarah Kaye, whose charity supports and funds over 5,000 groups nationally, called for greater support of grassroots sport, insisting the list of winners are just the tip of the iceberg in underlining the immense contribution of the sector.
“Clubs up and down the country are producing astonishing impacts on their local communities and the Sported Awards throws a spotlight on how they make a difference to so many with their work,” she said.
“However, we know that the vast majority of this is done by volunteers and that not enough funding is being made available to support them in what they do, let alone help them to invest further into the lives of people in their villages, towns and cities.
“Without proper funding these community lynchpins are at risk. However there is an immense opportunity for government and private sector partners to invest into what they accomplish and unleash the power of these local heroes to achieve even more.”
These local organisations receive from support and guidance from Sported, as well as access to grants, funding information and Volunteer Consultants like Gledhill, helping them to further benefit lives within their communities.
For anyone interested in lending their time, skills, knowledge and expertise, you can register to become a Sported Volunteer Consultant and join the over 200 currently volunteering on the Sported website.
The skillset within the Volunteer Consultant group is broad, however there is a greater need for volunteers with experience and a background in governance and fundraising to support the demand of the network.
To register to give your time and knowledge to help local heroes impact their community, visit the volunteering section of the Sported website: https://sported.org.uk/volunteers.
More information about Sported, it’s network, and the support the organisation provides to grassroots sports groups is available on its website at www.sported.org.uk.