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Carl Wall won the Volunteer Commitment Award, sponsored by Leon James Personal Trainer, at the Lincolnshire Sport & Physical Activity Awards 2022. The award recognises a volunteer that has regularly given their time and made a significant contribution to a club, association or activity for the benefit of the participants.
Although up against lots of other deserving nominees and finalists, the award judges were impressed with Carl's dedication to his voluntary work at Woodhall Spa Cricket Club. Carl is a junior coach, and runs junior sessions supporting matches, scoring and umpiring. He has set up a ladies team at the club and started indoor winter training in January 2022. He is also on the committee at the club and has supported fundraising and getting grant applications fulfilled. Carl has seen the club through season training every week, organising teams and supporting them through any problems. His, coaching, umpiring and support have enabled them to get to the top of the league.
How did you get started as a volunteer at the club and what do you find the most rewarding aspect of being a volunteer?
I love coaching in any aspects of sport and when I started the ladies section at Woodhall Spa Cricket Club, and started getting involved with people with additional needs it really gives me a buzz to support people. When I am volunteering, whether that is helping with the upkeep of the ground, setting up training and matches, helping to support with grants and organising and running events, setting up the newly developed ladies section coaching and managing and helping with umpiring and scoring to coaching and managing junior teams, being a First Aider and a Mental Health First Aider supporting our members, running holiday camps to see the club going from strength to strength and growing and moving forward building on our already, safe, fun and inclusive to all with a welcoming environment drives me on. But I’d say one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering is when the juniors come to me to say how much fun they have had and telling me what they have learnt and that they just want to play cricket has got to be up there with the most rewarding parts of volunteering.
What have some recent successes from the last year been?
A big success for me was starting up the ladies’ team from scratch and winning the league and many other competitions seeing the ladies grow and grow in confidence.
What does winning the Volunteer Commitment Award mean to you?
I am so honestly thankful and considerably honoured to have been nominated let alone to go on and win the Volunteer Commitment Award. It is a great accomplishment and to be shown recognition for doing something I enjoy, I am very grateful.
What opportunities are there for people to get involved as a volunteer at a club?
There are so many opportunities to volunteer within a club, from hands on support around the ground helping with maintenance and upkeep, serving refreshments at matches, to being an activator with the ECB’ Allstars and Dynamos programme for juniors aged 5-11years old. Scoring, umpiring, managing teams, joining the committee to taking your coaches award and coaching. The list is endless and even if you think your local club doesn't need any help as it runs well and already a great team of people doing those jobs please have a chat with them as help and support is always needed and very much appreciated.
What have you got planned for the future?
We are looking now to enter another ladies team in the league and junior girls team as well as a disabled team to get more people playing and active. Our ladies sessions are currently taking place as indoor league and training and then we go outdoors in April for training sessions.
