Employees at Stockport not-for-profit sports and leisure company Life Leisure have been recognised in an extra-special awards ceremony.
Life Leisure, which manages 12 sports and leisure facilities in and around the town, hosted a gala event at Colshaw Hall in Cheshire. It was an opportunity to thank its employees for the work they do to help Stockport residents get fitter and healthier – from losing weight or gaining confidence to becoming more active through training or learning a new sport.
It was an extra special night for hundreds of staff as they celebrated the 10th anniversary of the awards.
Many of the categories on the night were for those who put in their own personal best performance to embody Life Leisure’s W.A.T.C.H. principles (Winner, Authenticity, Together, Caring and Happy). They included Adam Heywood who won the Authenticity award. He has worked his way up through the company from receptionist to Fitness Manager through his hard work and determination.
The Caring award went to the PARiS team, which manages physical activity referrals from healthcare professionals. It was recognised for its skilled, experienced and dedicated team members who go above and beyond every day. Other worthy W.A.T.C.H. awards went to Daniel Woolley, Lifeguard at Cheadle (Together) Matt Skates, Senior Business Manager at Stockport Sports Village (Happy) and Kingsley Child, Senior Fitness Coach at Houldsworth Village (Winner).
Due to the high number of nominations and performance level there were no fewer than three recipients for the Personal Best Champion of the Year award. Andy Reed, Duty Manager at Avondale, Danielle McMahon, Duty Manager at Houldsworth Village and Nicole Rothwell, Senior Health and Fitness Coach at Avondale each took a different route into their current roles, but all of them showed a commitment to a personal best every day.
Special awards presented in honour of two former Life Leisure Chairs and respected Stockport businessmen David Hopkins and Alwin Thompson went to Caroline Hunt, Head of Member Journey and Experience and Delia Roberts, Receptionist at Cheadle, respectively.
Life Leisure’s CEO Malcolm McPhail said:
“it was a fantastic celebration of achievement for all our employees after another highly successful year for Life Leisure. I am so proud of how our winners go above and beyond every day for our members. The awards paid tribute to a whole host of people like Caroline, who is always dependable, efficient and unfailingly committed to her job. Not only that, but she is always the first to support Life Leisure events outside working hours. Then there are winners like Della Roberts who has a very bright future with us. Her attitude to work and her commitment to our preferred behaviours culture has really stood out over the last 12 months.”
Malcolm paid tribute to other winners, including Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ellen McDowall, Sales Manager with Life Leisure, who has held various roles for 23 years. “She demonstrates daily her passion, commitment and dedication to Life Leisure. She puts her heart and soul into everything, and she never quits!
Other winners were Amy Rose, Duty Manager at Stockport Sports Village who was named Sentinel of the Year and Ross McGuigan, Adult Participation Officer and Darren Brosnahan, Head of Facilities, both of whom won Individual Achievement/Special Recognition awards.
Honorary RTB Board Member was the Commonwealth Swimming Medallist Holly Hibbott who trains with Stockport Metro.
Centre of the Year was Houldsworth Village, which began as an old, derelict building and has been transformed into Life Leisure’s largest gym and a centre of excellence for British Weight Lifting, winning two leading industry awards in the last 12 months.
Life Leisure Annual Awards: Winners
Award |
Winner |
David Hopkins Award |
Caroline Hunt |
Lifetime Achievement Award |
Ellen McDowall |
Alwin Thompson Scholarship Award |
Della Roberts |
Sentinel of the Year |
Amy Rose |
Winner Award |
Kingsley Child |
Authenticity Award |
Adam Heywood |
Together Award |
Daniel Woolley |
Caring Award |
The PARiS Team |
Happy Award |
Matt Skates |
Honorary RTB Board Member |
Holly Hibbott |
Centre of the Year |
Houldsworth Village |
Team of the Year |
The Tender Team |
PB Champions of the Year |
Andy Reed, Danielle McMahon, Nicole Rothwell
|
Individual Achievement Award/Special Recognition |
Ross McGuigan, Darren Brosnahan |
Photo captions:
Life Leisure CEO Malcolm McPhail presents honorary RTB board member award to Commonwealth medal winner Holly Hibbott
Team of the year: the Tender Team