Dromara CC’s Martin is named top volunteer

Martin who is secretary of Dromara CC also takes an active role in the Cycling Ulster Off Road Commission. It was through his dedication to the sport that over the last two years the Ulster Cyclocross and Cross Country leagues have once again appeared on the Ulster calendar after having almost died out in previous years.

Not only has he put new life into the leagues but the numbers participating have continued to grow beyond all expectations. Already many clubs not previously involved now want to run league events.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect is the growth in youth participation from U8s up to U16s. Martin also encouraged the participation of young girls in the sport and the leagues now have separate category prizes for the female participants.

However Martin was not content to let things rest at that. In 2011 he got together with Banbridge CC, Dromara, Apollo and XMTB to organise summer skills sessions for young people. These were well supported and the kids had lots of fun as well as learning skills.

The Volunteer of the Year award is sponsored by Martin Birney of SportActive and was presented on the night by Paul Vaughan and Stephen Burns. Martin Birney said that he was delighted that the award was going to such a worthy winner.

The choice was obviously a popular one as the applause showed. Dromara CC would not only like to congratulate Martin Grimley on his well deserved award but also to thank him for his services to Dromara CC. Knowing Martin, it is unlikely that he will rest on his laurels and we wait to see what plans he has in store for 2012