February 2019 - Top man Derek is Pride of Portishead
Portishead club development officer, Derek Connop, has been named as the South West Region’s Volunteer of the Year in the national Pride of Table Tennis Awards.
The honour comes alongside Portishead being named as the South West Region’s Table Tennis Club of the Year earlier this month.
As South West winners – the region covers Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Avon, Somerset, Devon, Dorset and Cornwall – both Connop and the club have now been shortlisted for Table Tennis England’s National Pride of Table Tennis Awards, where the victors will be announced in Leicester on March 30.
South West regional chairman, Jos Kelly, who made the presentation at Gordano School, said: “Portishead Table Tennis Club seems to have burst on to the scene in a big way. The club’s drive and energy to promote the sport, and also bring its many benefits to the local community, has seen it grow at a tremendous rate and attract new players from all age groups.
“It is very fitting that it should be recognised as the South West Table Tennis Club of the Year. It is doubly fitting, however, that Derek Connop should separately be awarded.
“There are hundreds of volunteers devoting much time and energy into the sport but, this year, Derek has stood out for what he has achieved as an organiser, a coach, a player and a motivator, and he is a very worthy recipient of the award.”
Connop, has been a key driving force behind a number of club innovations over the last two years. They include:
• Becoming a Table Tennis England grade one coach and arranging for 6 other members to complete the coaching course.
• Developing an outreach programme with the local Portishead Youth Club, and running a regular Monday night coaching session.
• Setting up a weekly after-school club with Gordano School in Portishead (run by head of PE and grade two coach Emma Rose) which is regularly attended by more than 30 junior players;
• Setting up a regular Sunday evening 15-table club training/coaching session.
• Establishing a close working relationship with Table Tennis England and securing funding to support the initiatives
• Getting the club active in the Table Tennis England Young Ambassador scheme that promotes youth participation in all aspects of running of the club.
Club member Steve Pratt, who nominated Connop for the award said: “After enjoying a fairly stable base for the last 50 years, the club has absolutely taken off since Derek became involved. A great deal of this progress has been directly down to his efforts.”
Accepting his award, Connop was keen to recognise the efforts of everyone involved in the club. He said without the constant support and participation of all the players, coaches, administrators and parents of junior members, none of this would have happened.
He also wanted to remember Deon Riley, who tragically died while playing his first game for PTTC last year. “Deon represented everything that was good and right about being a member of a sports club and his loss is still felt deeply within the club,” he concluded.
Portishead is a Table Tennis England Premier Club established in 1946.
It has around 60 members of all ages – the youngest is 10 and the oldest in his 80s.
The club encourages members of all ages and ability ranges. New members are always welcome.
The club plays matches at the Portishead Lake Grounds and at Walton Hall. It also has regular training nights at Gordano School.
It currently has 14 adult teams and four junior teams playing in the British League, the Bristol and District League, The Weston-Super-Mare League, the National Junior League, and the Bristol Junior League.
For more information see: https://www.tabletennis365.com/Portishead or contact:
Derek Connop
Club Development Officer
07779 118936 (m)
Or
Stephen Knight
General Secretary, Portishead Table Tennis Club
01275 871925
steve@knighttrain.co.uk
