Community Awards 2006 Nominees
- Community Group of the Year
- Volunteer Worker of the Year
- Business Community Project of the Year
- Trainee of the Year
- Fairtrade Business of the Year
- Urban Project of the Year
- Rural Project of the Year
- Fundraiser of the the Year
- Young Hero Award
- Teacher of the Year
- Sportsperson of the Year
- Junior Sportsperson of the Year
- Fine Lady of Banbury
Junior Sportsperson of the Year
Hannah BryanA TALENTED young athlete has an eye on the 2012 Olympics.
Hannah Bryan, 16, of Ferriston, Banbury, has been put forward again in the Junior Sportsperson category in recognition of her success as a competitive javelin thrower. She said: “It is a shock to be nominated again but hopefully I can win it this year.”
Hannah, who is a Year 11 pupil at The Warriner School in Bloxham, has been competing in throwing competitions since the age of 12 and trains up to four times a week with her Banbury Harriers coach Mick Hughes.
He said: “I think it is great that she has been nominated; she thoroughly deserves it.” Over the past four years Hannah has competed in competitions at club, regional and national level.
She has achieved a national number one ranking and won numerous gold medals. Her success has inspired her to become a professional javelin thrower and earn a place in the 2012 Olympics in London.
At under-13 level, Hannah was ranked third in Great Britain, and achieved a first place ranking in the under-15 age group. Since moving into the under-17 category, Hannah has faced stiffer competition but has still achieved a top ten positioning.
Last year she competed in the national Amateur Athletics Association (Three As) competition for the first time in the under-17 age group and came away with a silver medal. She was nominated by her mother Susan Hillman, who said: “She was nominated last year but she didn’t win so I thought I would give her another chance this time.”
Bethany Roberts
NINE-year-old archery success Bethany Roberts of Fenny Compton has not been out of the top three in the eight tournaments she has entered this year, managing to scoop four first places.
Her proud father Paul, who nominated Bethany, feels she deserves recognition for her unstinting effort and achievement in the sport, as well as for her relaxed attitude to her success.
He said: “She’s improved so much in the last few months but she’s so laid back about it. She’s brilliant, but she doesn’t exude a look-at-me attitude, which makes her a great sportsperson.”
Bethany, a pupil at Dassett School in Fenny Compton, took up archery after going to an archery club in Leamington with her father.
She said: “I watched my dad and I wanted to have a go and I really enjoyed it. My best moment was winning my first ever competition.”
In the National Indoor Championships under-13s category in December last year Bethany took fifth place showing her skill and determination by beating more experienced and older girls.
Mr Roberts said: “This is a sport requiring patience, concentration and a lot of repetition which makes it not suitable for many children this young.
“Bethany, however, shows skill and commitment.”
Bethany said: “I would like to go to the Olympics and I will train as hard as I possibly can to achieve.”
Joshua Boulton
A BRITISH champion ice dancer could be skating towards another top prize.
Joshua Boulton has been nominated in the Young Sportsperson of the Year category of the Banbury Guardian Community Awards 2006.
Winning the accolade would be a tribute to his meteoric rise in the sport which he only took up by chance about three years ago.
The 14-year-old won the junior men’s British national championship title this year after just a short time competing on the ice. This followed his victory in the primary men’s age group last season.
Having only been skating for three years, the Brackley youngster is much less experienced than the majority of his opponents but this has not stopped him from gaining major success.
Joshua’s father Russell, a former junior tennis international, said he found out about his son’s skating talent purely by chance, during their first visit to a ice rink.
“He took to it like a duck to water and some time after we arranged a few lessons and he managed to qualify in that first year for the nationals,” Mr Boulton said. “He really enjoys it so much and all the effort comes from him; as parents we have no control whatsoever.
“We haven’t the first clue about ice skating but he’s so dedicated to it and it’s something he really wants to do.
“He seems really focused and it’s a pleasure to see him focus all his energy on this.”
Joshua, a pupil at Magdalen College School in Brackley is now searching for a female dancing partner, with a view to competing as a pair at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.