Young Ambassador Award

Winner: Carl Blackman

Sponsors: The Rotary Club of Sleaford

NORRY Bell, presenting the award on behalf of the Rotary Club of Sleaford, said: "This is a new award for 2009 and we wanted to recognise the efforts of one of the town's young people in promoting the town and setting an example to other Sleaford youngsters.

"The winner is a young lad who has had more than his fair share of problems to overcome but has gone on to be a star performer at national level.

"His family has been in Sleaford since 1980, when they settled after coming to the area with the RAF, with both sets of grandparents also later deciding to make their homes here.

"Now aged 16, our winner attends St George's College of Technology but travels to Newark for a lot of his training with the Newark Jaguars Club, working for at least six hours a week just for the wheelchair basketball – on top of his training for discus, shot put, archery, javelin, hockey, table-tennis fencing and shooting and of course his other school commitments.

"His mum says that since he started competing, he has brought home a 'boxful of medals' and is never shy of telling people where he comes from.

"In basketball he played for the East Midlands under-19 squad which came second nationally last year and the 2160 (Sleaford) Squadron Air Training Corp reported he won an astonishing seven medals at the National Disabled Junior Games at Stoke Mandeville, in Buckinghamshire.

"The incredible haul included two gold for discus and shot-put, and two silver for archery and javelin, as well as three bronze medals for manual slalom, the wheelchair 100m, and wheelchair basketball.

"Pilot Officer Mel Walker 2160 (Sleaford) Squadron Air Training Corp believes that above all else he is an exemplary cadet.

"She said that Carl has always been a 'fantastic' cadet. He gets involved with as much as possible on the squadron and never shies away from a challenge.

Carl told the Target: "It is a great honour to receive the first Young Ambassador Award.

"I was invited to the ceremony and told I had won something but I didn't expect it to be this.

"I'd like to thank all the voting panel and judges, and the Rotary Club, as well as the people who voted for me.

"I would also like to say a big thank you to my family for supporting me in all the sports I do."