Wilson James Community Club of the Year

Nominations

Booth Academy of Table Tennis (BATTS): Managed by volunteers, Booth Academy of Table Tennis is an excellent example of an all round community club. A Regional Centre of Excellence for table tennis, BATTS has hosted elite level competitions and training including sessions delivered by a Commonwealth Champion. The stature of the club is evident with a visit from Tessa Jowell MP as well as the top 3 Table Tennis players from China. BATTS has also been successful in developing strong partnership links to promote sport in the area. They worked closely with Essex County Council to deliver the Essex Jiangsu Table Tennis Challenge and also have a partnership with West Ham United FC to deliver junior football coaching. The centre is open for the whole community with a wide range of activities such as football training, short mat bowls, badminton and, of course, table tennis. BATTS are an asset to both Harlow and the county, acting as a focal point for sports development within the community.

Braintree BMX Club: Braintree BMX Club is run by a group of volunteers who work hard to ensure the members of the club receive the best quality facilities, coaching, and events. Weekly race meetings are held throughout the summer, weekly coaching sessions throughout the year, and monthly race meetings throughout the winter. To achieve this the club has worked tirelessly in obtaining support and help in rebuilding the track and changing it from regional to national standard, as well as improving the facilities to incorporate parking, toilets, registration areas and food and drink shops. Whilst continually striving to improve their facility, the club have an "open door" approach to new riders whose ages range from 3 to 50 and the facility is also open to the public free of charge. The club has welcomed new riders every week throughout the summer and continue to provide quality and expertise no matter the level of rider. The club continues to work towards holding national meetings with the final target to hold the British Championships; this would be a just reward for all the efforts of the volunteers in making this club such a success.

Hawkwell Athletic Football Club: With over 500 members, 41 teams and in excess of 50 fully qualified coaches, Hawkwell Athletic Football Club is a beacon of success. Not satisfied with just achieving results "on the pitch", the club run extensive football schools, summer and tournament programmes along with volunteer education, with these new coaches, referees and officials then deployed within the community. The clubs visionary thinking and long term coaching plan has resulted in links being established with professional academies at Leyton Orient and recently Arsenal to ensure players can reach their full potential. The club continue to fundraise and campaign to improve the local facilities to benefit the entire community and their player focused approach means this vibrant, friendly club welcomes and can really cater for everyone. Hawkwell has long since received praise from within the world of football, but its recent hard work is making an impact on a much larger scale.