A WESTBURY man has been named as an ‘Unsung Hero of the Year’ at the Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Awards, recognising his contribution and passion for sport in 
Westbury and Wiltshire.
Sean Price, who is perhaps best known as Westbury’s town crier, is heavily involved with Westbury Wheelers cycling club, Avon Valley Runners, and Southwick parkrun.
His dedication has now been recognised as a joint winner of the award which was announced at a ceremony attended by sporting stars including former England rugby captain Phil de Glanville and World Cup skeleton bob champion, Shelley Rudman.
Although Sean has been involved with the clubs for a relatively short period of time, he has helped the clubs boom in recent months. Sean is joint secretary of Avon Valley Runners, which is the second biggest running club in Wiltshire and Swindon with over 220 members. He has also been on the committee of Westbury Wheelers cycling club for two years, seeing the club grow to over 100 members, and he is event director for Southwick parkrun, which has just celebrated its first anniversary.
Sean is passionate about the clubs, which he describes as the “best in the area”, and is particularly keen to continue developing provision for junior athletes.
Sean said, “Five years ago I did none of it! Having had to give up football due to injury I found new sports to get involved in. I’m never going to be good in terms of proficiency but I get a buzz from organising.
“I’m absolutely amazed to have won. At the awards evening I was surrounded by people who are such high achievers, just to be there was an amazing experience.
“When you win an award like this, you feel a bit embarrassed. It’s not one person, it’s a whole team. I’m lucky to be on three committees where every single person is fantastic and dedicated to the development of sports in Wiltshire. To win in 2012, which will always be synonymous with sport in Great Britain, is fantastic.”
The 2012 Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Awards were jointly hosted by Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire Health Improvement Partnership, NHS Wiltshire, Wiltshire and Swindon Activity and Sports Partnership, Swindon Borough Council and NHS Swindon and supported by the Liquid Media Group and Sports Coach UK.
The prestigious event, hosted by former England rugby captain Phil de Glanville, saw performances from Esprit Gymnastics Display Team and Junior World Fencing Champion Philip Marsh before the winners in 13 categories were announced along with winners of the Outstanding Contribution to Sport in Wiltshire.
Held at the Steam Museum in Swindon, the event was also attended by 2006 Olympic silver medallist and 2012 World Cup Champion in the skeleton bob Shelley Rudman who gave an inspiring talk about her career.
She said, “Being an athlete takes so much commitment and hard work but you also need a strong network of coaches and clubs to help you reach your goals. This evening was a great way to recognise the hard work of so many people involved in sport in Wiltshire.”
Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott added, “It was lovely to meet so many people who are involved in sport at this awards ceremony. It showcases the exceptional talent and hard work of athletes and the dedication of sports clubs, volunteers and coaches. Sport plays a major part in our health and wellbeing and following on from the success of this year’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we hope that many more people will be inspired to try out a new sport or become involved in sporting clubs.”
Some of this year’s winners will be put forwarded to the BBC Sports Personality’s Unsung Hero and the Sports Coach UK awards later in the year.
