WINNER: Ian Hotchkies
Runners-up: Carl Alsop, Bartek Szymczyk
Entries flooded in for this category and the judges were impressed with the way Bartek refuses to let his cerebral palsy come between him and boxing - the sport he loves.
This very determined young man is now helping others with boxing sessions for people with disabilities, while Carl Alsop gets an enormous amount done “on the quiet”, and deserves a lot of praise for almost single-handedly promoting the new sport of VX in York.
Meanwhile Ian Hotchkies has thrown himself into the often thankless task of refereeing for an astounding 40 years. He has held time-consuming but important roles in various organisations for several decades, and he gives his time to helping other referees.
Ian's hard work has made it possible for many people to enjoy playing football in York and he is, the judges said, a very worthy winner.
He admitted that spending all his time on the pitch had made a "football widow" of his wife, who has always been understanding of his passion for the sport.
Ian added: "I enjoyed playing sport in my younger days, so now I think I should put something back."
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