Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire Partnership has been honored at the School Games Impact Awards 2026 for its outstanding work in keeping disengaged young people, particularly girls and students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), active in sport.
National Recognition
The Active Partnership, which hosts the local School Games Organiser, received the Young Person Impact Award, judged by the Youth Sport Trust and partners, at a ceremony held at Telford International Centre on 2 June. The award celebrates projects that empower underrepresented youth to view exercise positively and build confidence.
Empowering Girls Through Sport
Claire Kemp, 45, from partners The Academy Programme, which collaborated with British Weight Lifting, emphasized the importance of making sport accessible to girls. "I think it's so important that sport crosses all these barriers that females can sometimes face," Kemp said. "There's such a massive dropout of girls who stop playing sport, particularly when young girls go into secondary school. Projects like this have a massive impact and make it much easier for girls to stay engaged, finding sport as an enjoyable activity, not a fearful one."
Impact on Young People
Kerrie O'Mahony, 41, Strategic Lead for Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire, expressed her excitement after winning the award. "It feels absolutely amazing right now, because we know this is the Young Person Impact Award, and we know how much this project has impacted young people in our area," she said.
Jackie Latham, 46, a project officer, highlighted how the initiative empowered young people to become leaders. "The young people we have reached out to have learned to be themselves, when before there was no pathway for young people to be allowed to believe in themselves. This project shows that young people drive the motion to create impactful change," Latham said.
Awards Ceremony
The awards concluded with a keynote speech from former Team England basketball player Daniel Edozie. The event honored educational professionals who have promoted mental and physical wellbeing while tackling inequalities through sport and physical exercise.
Clare Warburton, who leads the School Games Mark at the Youth Sport Trust, praised the impactful work of educational professionals outside the classroom. "Young people are designed to move, and whether that's through community sport or physical activity, each time a young person is active they are moving their minds and building relationships," Warburton said. "We've got some tremendous School Games Organisers and Active Partnerships that are absolutely wonderful, and it has been great to celebrate with everyone."
For more information, visit the School Games Mark website.
