Congratulations our to jogscotland award winners!
29 / 10 / 2012
There was a wonderful atmosphere at the Glasgow Marriott on Saturday night as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the very best of jogscotland and scottishathletics.
jogscotland Leader of the Year
Mike Dignan, Muir of Ord jogscotland/Inverness Leisure jogscotland
Mike joined Muir of Ord jogscotland around four years ago and became a Jog Leader because he wanted to repay some of the encouragement he had received himself. His enthusiasm helped attract many new beginners and established runners, and he started organising extra interval training sessions, to offer more for members. In January he decided to plug a gap in his home town, and set up Inverness Leisure jogscotland – which attracted an incredible 90 members to its first session. He now leads groups at Muir of Ord on Monday and Wednesday, and in Inverness on Tuesday and Thursdays. Mike’s charm, and his cheeky, friendly nature were mentioned in several nominations. He remembers everybody’s names, is constantly positive and encouraging to all, is described as “hard-working, dedicated and inspirational”.
jogscotland Achiever of the Year
Debbie Hill – Glasgow FrontRunners
When Debbie joined the beginners’ group at Glasgow FrontRunners early last year, she struggled to complete the distance set in the initial training sessions. However, she improved steadily, and this year took part in the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon. She has also become a role model and ambassador for the club, which was set up for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, or LGBT, runners. Debbie trained as a Jog Leader and has led groups since Spring 2012. Having been a complete beginner herself very recently, the empathy and care she offers beginner runners is described as a “priceless asset” to the club. She was a leading figure on the group’s stall at PRIDE 2012 and particularly helped to recruit women from the LGBT community – a group the FrontRunners have previously struggled to reach.
jogscotland Group of the Year
West Dunbartonshire jogscotland
West Dunbartonshire jogscotland was set up at the dawn of jogscotland , ten years ago. A decade on, there have been 38 Jog Leaders, with some of the founder Jog Leaders and members still turning up every week. The group includes three septuagenarians, who regularly compete in 5k, 10k and half marathons, and inspire fellow members. People are encouraged to aim for their own personal goals and one member described “an abundance of support at every level”. Each year, the group holds its own West Dunbartonshire Awards Night to celebrate the achievements of members. Since the awards night was begun it has raised £5000 for the Childrens’ Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) and has seen the creation of spin-offs including Joggers Got Talent and Strictly Come Jogging. West Dunbartonshire jogscotland includes three separate groups, in Dumbarton, Alexandria and Clydebank, which all come together for an event week every two months. Additional training is supported by leaders in their own time to help runners who are entering events, and a 5K run is organized in BallochCountryPark every Saturday morning, which has also drawn many participants from beyond jogscotland.