Copeland win Goalden Globe Award

28th September 2011

COPELAND Borough Council is celebrating after scooping a national award for its Community Netball Scheme.

Copeland's netball officer, Sonia Dryden, received the Rose Award at the England Netball Goalden Globe Awards.

The accolade recognises the project has made a notable contribution to netball in the last year.

The Goalden Globes brought together volunteers and organisations from across the country who have all had a huge impact on the sport of netball.

Copeland's Community Netball project first won the North West round of the awards and was then put through to the national round. It includes initiatives such as Back to Netball, sixth form and college coaching and junior coaching across the borough.

The Community Netball project makes netball accessible and affordable, and increases players' confidence through high quality coaching. It also encourages people who were not previously playing the sport to have a go and increase their levels of fitness and activity.

Elaine Woodburn, leader of Copeland Borough Council, said: "This is a tremendous achievement and I am proud our staff have been recognised. The Community Netball programme does an enormous amount to help us get more people physically active and I hope other authorities can look to this as an example of good practice."

The Back to Netball scheme has been particularly successful. The council offered a six-week programme to a local mums and toddlers group then, in partnership with the School Sports Partnership, the programme was offered more widely at a local school. There are now sessions in the north and south of the borough, and 177 people have attended the free, friendly coaching sessions. The scheme has also resulted in three new teams being formed and playing in the Copeland Netball League.  An additional team has been formed in Millom, playing in the South Lakes Netball League.

One-off events have included the first ever Cumbrian Back to Netball Festival, run in partnership with North Country Leisure. It is thought that Copeland's Community Netball programme has resulted in 332 taking up netball in the last year.

The Community Netball programme helps Copeland Council reach its aim of improving lives and communities in the borough.