Mid Shropshire Wheelers Achieve Clubmark
Mid Shropshire Wheelers Cycling Club have recently achieved Go-Ride Clubmark Accreditation. They join 18 other pioneering clubs across the country and are the fifth club in the West Midlands to achieve Go-Ride Clubmark status. The club decided to receive their awards at the Youth and Junior Regional Road Race Championships. The races took place at the Sundorne Sports Centre in Shrewsbury on Saturday 23rd September. BBC cameras were on hand to celebrate National Lottery Day, giving the club even more publicity. Given that the Sundorne Sports Centre was lottery funded, the Regional Championships were a perfect opportunity to showcase the facility.
Liam Killeen, Commonwealth Games Mountain Bike Gold medallist, made the presentation to George Watkins, one of the coaches at Mid Shropshire Wheelers. Liam is keen to promote grass-routes cycling and was pleased to help with the presentation. A rider of Liam’s quality helping out with Clubmark shows the Youth and Junior members of the club the importance of young people in cycling. He is also a shining example of what can be achieved if you work hard enough.
The photograph above shows, from left to right; George Watkins (Mid Shropshire Coach), Liam Killeen (Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist), Denise Lee (Partnership Development Manager for Sundorne School) and Nick Yarworth (Regional Manager for the West Midlands).
Nick Yarworth has worked closely with the club to help them achieve their goal of Go-Ride Clubmark Accreditation. Denise Lee helped Mid Shropshire Wheelers establish long-term sustainable links with local schools, which is a prerequisite of Go-Ride Clubmark Accreditation. The day was a celebration of all the hard work put in to establish a Go-Ride Clubmark Accredited club; not just by the club’s volunteers, but by everyone involved. Over the past few months everyone connected with the club has worked very hard to obtain this prestigious award.
Clubmark is the nationally recognised kitemark for quality sports clubs with specific sections for young people. Clubmark clubs deliver regular coaching sessions and adhere to strict guidelines covering their administration. With Club Welfare Officers (CWOs), Qualified Coaches, Club Contacts, and other dedicated volunteers, clubs like Mid Shropshire Wheelers really do lead the way when it comes to creating supportive environments in which young riders can enjoy their sport.
