ukactive has today (21 July) announced the STA (Swimming Teachers’ Association) as the headline sponsor for its prestigious annual awards.
The ukactive Awards will take place at the New Dock Hall within the Leeds Royal Armouries on Thursday 26 October this year, and the STA will play a pivotal role in supporting ukactive to celebrate those that are driving innovation, inclusion and transformation in the physical activity sector.
As a national governing body for swimming and an educational charity, the STA is dedicated to the teaching of swimming and water safety. For the last 90 years, the STA has worked to deliver the highest standards of swimming teaching, and today represents 18,000 members, partnering with swim schools and leisure operators in the UK and internationally.
The charity, which is also a member of ukactive’s Strategic Partner Group, is to become the headline sponsor for the awards and this year’s event marks the first time since 2018 that the prestigious ukactive Awards are being held as a standalone event. ukactive’s main conference is now set to take place early next year.
The awards ceremony will be a celebration of the remarkable achievements of those in the physical activity sector, with categories recognising the entire industry – from individuals (the Physical Activity Hero Award) and suppliers (Supplier of the Year) to facilities (National Club/Centre of the Year Award) and communities (Healthy Communities Award).
Entries for the awards closed on Friday 7 July, and all submissions are currently being assessed for the first-round of marking, led by Proinsight. The top eight scoring entries per category will be announced as finalists during the week commencing 14 August and tickets to the event will be on sale shortly.
Dave Candler, CEO of STA, said: “The ukactive Awards are the most prestigious within the physical activity sector, and the STA is proud to be working in partnership with ukactive as the headline sponsor this year.
“The awards celebrate leadership, creativity, innovation, diversity and excellence – all that is good about our fantastic industry, and we are thrilled to be a part of this year’s event.
“We’ve been lucky enough to be the recipient of a few ukactive Awards over the last few years, including Supplier of the Year, Education Provider of the Year and Outstanding Leader of the Year, so everyone at the STA understands how important these awards are and what they mean.
“They are incredibly rewarding, and as a team, we are looking forward to celebrating all the achievements of this year’s finalists and winners, and we wish everyone involved the best of luck.”
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “It’s great to have the STA on board as the headline sponsor for our ukactive Awards and the team will play a key role in helping us to celebrate the very best within our industry.
“It has been yet another challenging year for our members and partners, and we know just how important it is to really reflect and celebrate all of the amazing achievements that have helped to get more people active across the UK, from every community.
“We have received so many fantastic entries about all of the influential projects, teams and initiatives that have taken place this year and we’re delighted to have the STA on board to support us in these celebrations.”
To find out more information on the key dates and the judging process, head to the ukactive Awards website here.
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