Some 800 people attended the UK Active Awards ceremony last night (3 October) in Birmingham. Sponsored by STA, the hosts were Professor Greg Whyte OBE and comedian, Esther Manito.

Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA, won the coveted Jan Spaticchia Special Recognition Award in recognition of her hard work and contribution to the sport and physical activity sector. One of the industry’s best known leaders and female role models, when Dillon was charged with forming the industry’s first chartered institute, she had to combine the interests of numerous existing organisations and a precarious financial situation.

Speaking in HCM’s Life Lessons recently, Dillon talked about the isolation and self doubt that came with the role in the early days and the many head in hand moments.

Under her watch, CIMSPA has gone from strength to strength, with an award-winning culture – read more on her comments on this in our company culture feature in the upcoming HCM – and this week announced the launch of a new industry data platform, the Sport and Physical Activity Workforce Observatory.

Dillon says she was honoured and humbled to received the award: "Through all of my years working in the sector I’ve been privileged to have learnt from, and been supported by, some amazing colleagues and mentors. To be recognised by the sector that I love so much is wonderful.

"Starting out in this sector over 30 years ago, I never imagined that I would be nominated for an award alongside such brilliant people. But the opportunities that this sector has given me, and most importantly the talent and dedication of our fantastic workforce, is amazing. It’s a complete privilege to do what I do and I’ve never been more determined to drive forward recognition of our sector and workforce and the impact that we make.””

Other winners included Everyone Active, which has scooped a number of prestigious contracts this year, including the London Aquatics Centre and Sheffield’s sports and leisure venues and which won the Outstanding Organisation Award, as well as four others, including National Centre/Club of the Year for Silksworth Community Pool Tennis and Wellness Centre.

David Bibby, Everyone Active MD, said: “It’s a huge honour to win five UK Active Awards and this reflects the hard work and dedication our colleagues have put in over the past year. They have all done a fantastic job and this was recognised in them achieving Outstanding Organisation of the Year.”

People Director at GLL, Lorraine Patrinos, was named winner of the Outstanding Individual Leader Award for her work in designing, driving and implementing organisation change projects for major business impact. She says: "It's fantastic to receive an award that recognises the critical role of a people-centric approach to business. I'm so proud of our people and the difference they make to our customers' and communities' health."

Also from GLL, Danii Vipond-Houghton, was awarded the Physical Activity Hero Award for inspiring participation among people who don't think being active is for them. Her incredible achievements include attracting more than 5,000 new people, more than 400 Healthwise referrals, and raising over £150,000 in funding towards the sustainability of leisure services.

Vipond-Houghton says being recognised brings immense joy as both she and her team are passionate about creating inclusive and accessible programmes: "Our goal has always been to support our local community in becoming more active, addressing health inequalities, and ultimately helping individuals lead happier, healthier lives.

"We take great pleasure in running the Healthwise Exercise on Referral and Escape Pain sessions, fostering strong partnerships with other organisations and witnessing the positive impact of increased pool accessibility through the pool pod. We're excited about the opportunities ahead to empower even more people to embrace an active lifestyle in the future."

Huw Edwards, CEO of UK Active, said: “This year’s finalists are excellent examples of how our sector works tirelessly, day in and day out, to ensure all communities can access and enjoy the benefits of physical activity. Thank you to all of the entrants, the finalists, the winners and our sponsors for helping us celebrate our wonderful sector.”

Dave Candler, CEO of sponsor, STA, said: “We saw outstanding examples of leadership, creativity, innovation, diversity, and excellence from all the finalists and winners, proving how amazingly talented and resilient the physical activity sector is.”

UK Active Awards 2024 Winners in full

The Jan Spaticchia Special Recognition Award

Tara Dillon - CEO, CIMSPA

Outstanding Organisation Award

Everyone Active

Physical Activity Hero Award

Danii Vipond Houghton - GLL

Outstanding Individual Leadership Award

Lorraine Patrinos - GLL

Outstanding Team Leadership Award

InspireAll - Swimming Management Leadership Team:

Sarah Marsh, Will Brewer, Beth Hobday, Jacqui Price, Victoria St John-Mosse, Barry Ellis, Tony Straton.

Supplier of the Year

Good Boost

New Build or Design of the Year

GT3 Architects

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Brimhams Active

Healthy Communities Award

Brimhams Active

Organisation Innovation Award

Jubilee Hall Trust and Central YMCA

Marketing Campaign Award

Inverclyde Leisure

Digital Transformation Award

Parkwood Leisure

Education Provider of the Year

Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK)

BUCS Physical Activity Excellence Award

Nottingham Trent University

National Club/Centre of the Year

Everyone Active - Silksworth Community Pool Tennis and Wellness Centre

Regional Club/Centres of the Year by area

Northern Ireland & Wales

Antrim and Newtownabbey - Ballyearl Arts and Leisure Centre

Scotland

Edinburgh Leisure - Gracemount Leisure Centre

North

Everyone Active - Silksworth Community Pool Tennis and Wellness Centre

Midlands

Everyone Active - Hucknall Leisure Centre

London

Everyone Active - Flitwick Leisure Centre

South

Hilton - LivingWell Health Club Reading